Zombies' Superstar Saga 2
by Game2002
Summary: Franchouchou returns to the Mushroom Kingdom. What new adventures will await them this time around?
1. The Return to Mushroom Kingdom

_A Game2002_ Production

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The skies of Ruined Kingdom was dark and stormy like always, perhaps more so than usual.

**BGM: Ruined Dragon (Super Mario Odyssey)**

The massive purple dragon that inhabits this kingdom, known only as the Ruined Dragon, let a out a roar of anger as he soared through the air, mercilessly in pursuit of a flying wooden airship sporting the figurehead of a reptilian with a hairstyle resembling that of famous musician Ludwig van Beethoven.

Looking back at the approaching dragon, Larry shouted to the rest of his siblings, "He's catching up! What do we do?"

"Don't worry! We were expecting this when we came here, so this ship is fully prepared to take on him!" Ludwig called out to him response from the middle of the deck.

"Then you better use it fast! I don't think he's in the mood to only chase us anymore" replied Larry, sounding worried.

The Ruined Dragon opened his mouth as electricity began to emit from inside, and then with a roar, a beam of electricity was fired straight at the airship. Larry screamed as he held his arms over his face for protection, but the electric beam struck a barrier that appeared out of nowhere, protecting the airship from the projectile.

"Told you everything will be all right!" Ludwig told his brother. "This airship is equipped with all that is necessary to defend against the likes of him!" He then took out a walkie-talkie and spoke into it, "Roy, you can now activate the weapon!"

"All right! I've been waiting for this!" said Roy from the other end of the communication device. The Koopaling with shades was currently in the control room, sitting in front of a control panel with a screen that showed the Ruined Dragon. Pressing a button on the panel, he made a pair of large mechanical arms appear from the sides of the airship, close to the back end.

The hands taunted the dragon into coming close, and the latter did so by speeding up. The hands folded into fists and gave the dragon a powerful right hook to the head before delivering a left hook. The dragon roared in anger in response and attempted to shoot electricity at the airship from his mouth.

Anticipating this, the hands grabbed the dragon's snout and forced it shut just as he was about to unleash his breath attack. This resulted in an explosion of electricity within the dragon's mouth, harming the massive reptile greatly. The Ruined Dragon opened his mouth to let a large amount of smoke come out, and he was also crying in pain.

Roy pressed another button that caused the mechanical hands to heat up, as evident of its orange glow, and then one hand grabbed and burned the dragon by the neck, while the other one punched him in the head rapidly. After several punches, the hand let go of the dragon, who had pretty much passed out, though he was still struggling to stay in air.

"Now let's finish him!" commanded Ludwig into the walkie-talkie.

The airship then slowly turned to its side, revealing its cannons at him. Under Ludwig's command, the cannons open fired at the dragon, blasting him with exploding cannon balls nonstop.

The dragon eventually fell through the air and landed with a powerful crash onto the rocky surface below.

**BGM Ends**

Looking down from the airship, the Koopalings and some of the henchmen cheered in triumph. "All right! We got him!" exclaimed Iggy.

"That is what you get for messing with us Koopalings!" said Wendy.

"We're reaching our destination!" a Koopa Troopa cried out from the crow's nest. Everyone then turned to the front to see an old castle appearing in the distance.

The airship arrived close to the castle, and then an anchor was dropped to the ground to keep it from moving. The Koopalings all got down from the airship while telling their henchmen to look after it, and then they entered the castle.

Looking around, they saw that the place was dirty and also a mess. There was nobody around at all. "No wonder this place is called the Ruined Kingdom..." commented Iggy.

"Makes me curious what happened to this place in the first place," said Larry.

"That's no important. We're here to find the artifact we found out about," Ludwig reminded them. "We should find it as soon as possible and then leave. Who knows if that dragon will get back up again or if there are any other dangers here."

The group traveled to the back end of the room and saw a treasure chest there. Thinking it might contain what they were looking for, they opened it after Ludwig used his magic wand to destroy its lock. Inside, they found a scroll.

"Is this it?" asked Roy.

Ludwig picked up the scroll and unrolled it to read its contents. After taking about a minute to read through its contents, a smile appeared on his face as he said, "This may not be exactly what we are looking for, but at least we didn't come here in vain! I'm sure Lord Bowser will still be glad to hear about our discovery! Heheheh!"

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ZOMBIE LAND SAGA

X

MARIO

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**ZOMBIES' SUPERSTAR SAGA  
****2**

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**Chapter 1  
The Return to Mushroom Kingdom**

* * *

It had been seven weeks since Franchouchou returned from the alternate universe known as the Mushroom Kingdom, and to this day, they still had a hard time believing that such an adventure and experience happened to them.

Since then, they had occasionally returned to the sewer where they found the Golden Pipe to see if the pipe was there, hoping to visit that place again. However, they never found it.

Despite this, they were adamant that the pipe would someday show up again and that they would be able to see Mario and his friends once again.

It was a truly a fun place that they enjoyed going to, and it was also one where they did not have to hide their identities as zombies, as the people there had proven to like them for what they are and even praised their looks.

During these seven weeks, Franchouchou hadn't been doing much other than holding mini concerts and meet and greets. It was the usual routine for them.

Ever since Sakura delivered the cryptic speech regarding their identities, there was quite a bit of discussion regarding who they are online.

Currently, the zombies were gathered in front of Kotarou's computer, with Ai taking charge of it, looking up forums about discussions related to them. Sure enough, there were threads that dealt with their identities. While nobody managed to deduce who they are, they did point out how some of them resembled certain people who died in the past, most notably Ai, Lily, and Junko.

Seeing all these discussions made Junko worried. "They're starting to suspect and find out..."

"Looks like what I said that time really is starting to work its magic, though I'm not sure if it's a good thing or not..." said Sakura.

"Isn't this what we wanted?" said Saki in response. "We want to stop hiding ourselves but also not reveal our identities so suddenly, so keeping people guessing until they come to their own conclusions is the next best thing."

"Lily is actually looking forward to it but also a bit scared about how people may react..." said Lily.

"Honestly saying, I don't really mind," said Yuugiri. "I don't think their reactions will be that bad. We have never done anything to warrant them antagonizing us after all."

"Are you sure you all are really all right with exposing our true identities to the public?" asked an unsure Ai. "Aren't you afraid that our appearances will be off putting to them?"

"Nah, I have confidence that they will still like us! We look really good for zombies!" Saki said to her.

"Easy for you to say when none of you are covered head to toe in bandages like me..." said a saddened Ai. "I can't even go around without them, lest you get nightmares..."

"I can understand you, Ai," Sakura said to her while putting her hand on her shoulder, "but I'm sure their reaction won't be that bad. Give them time, and I'm sure they will slowly come to accept our appearances!"

"Yeah! We'll show the world that even zombies can look hot!" Saki said to Ai. "The next thing you know, people are going to come asking for our hands in marriage! Heheh!"

Hearing this made Junko think of herself being proposed to by a fan with a love letter, and the thought of it made her blush but also smile.

* * *

Dorami members Maria, Migikawa, and Sayama were driving down the road on their scooters, looking for something interesting to do.

As Maria was taking the lead, she thought she saw the manhole cover up ahead moving. All of a sudden, the manhole cover popped out of its spot and flew into the air, immediately followed by a man jumping out from the hole. Maria freaked out but was too late to swerve to the side. Fortunately for the man, he stepped to the side in the nick of time.

Maria zoomed past him and turned her scooter to the side to come to a skidding stop, and her two companions stopped their bikes as well.

"Maria! Are you all right?" Sayama asked her.

Maria was breathing heavily with a look of shock on her face. "I'm fine..." she replied in between heavy breathing.

The man then approached her and said, "Sorry for shocking you just now... I should've watched first before jumping out..."

Maria looked up and glared at the man. He appeared to be a middle-aged man wearing red and blue overalls, not to mention wearing a red hat with the letter M on his head. He also had quite a mustache. It was Mario.

"You! How dare you appear in front of Dorami's boss all of a sudden like that and nearly costed her life?!" Maria angrily said to him.

Mario removed his hat and lowered his head in shame. "I am very sorry! I hope you are not-a hurt..."

"You're lucky I'm not hurt, because we're going to make you pay dearly if I did!" Maria angrily said to him. "But on second thought, maybe you should pay now as a warning!"

"Maria, he's an adult, and he also looks like a foreigner, so I don't think we should be getting into a fight with him..." Migikawa said to her.

"I don't care! We're badass bikers who should be able to instill fear to anyone, so adult or foreigner, he still has to learn his place and not get on our bad side!" replied Maria.

"I truly apologize, and as an act of apology, I hope-a theez coins will make do," said Mario as he pulled out a couple of golden coins from his pocket and handed them to her.

Maria observed the coin front to back, and her two companions looked at it with great interest. "Is this real gold?" asked Sayama.

"What currency is this? Is this even actual money?" wondered Migikawa.

"Theez eez currency from where I come from, though I don't-a think eet'll be of much use here, but you can at-a least keep eet as a souvenir," the man said to them.

Maria then stared at him for a few seconds before saying, "Where do you come from anyway?"

Mario looked nervous when he heard this. He wasn't sure about telling them that he comes from an alternate universe, but then he remembered he was told by Franchouchou before that he had an Italian accent. "I come from Italy!" he told them. "Those are Italian coins!"

"You sure? I'm very sure they don't use money like this in Italy, unless I've been living under a rock, which I'm sure I'm not," said Maria.

"Okay, eet'z not actually money, but... gold accessories..." replied Mario. "I'm sure people who like gold will enjoy eetz company!"

Maria felt like this man was hiding something, but she decided not to pursue this any further. "Fine, I'll be taking this," she said as she put them into her coat's pocket. "What were you doing down in the sewer any way?"

"I'm a plumba, so I was checking to see eef there eez anything wrong with da sewage system," replied Mario.

"An Italian plumber?" said Maria curiously, and Mario nodded in response. "Coming all the way from Italy to work as a plumber in Japan... I don't know if that's smart or not... Whatever, you better not get on Dorami's bad side again, or else I will make you suffer!"

The three bikers then got back onto their motorcycles and took off. Mario sighed with relief that things didn't get bad. He then remembered that he should've asked them about Franchouchou's whereabouts.

He recalled the zombies telling him that they live in a large mansion believed by the public to be abandoned. Thinking that such a mansion should be close by and easy to find, he began running around to look for the building by himself.

* * *

As per usual when they had meetings, Franchouchou and Kotarou were in the dungeon, talking about what was there to do in the coming days. "Good job these past few days! You have been working very hard keeping the people entertained," the producer said to them. "Because you have been working so hard, you all deserve a break! There will be no idol events for a while, so take your time to relax!"

"Does that mean we get to take a vacation?" asked Lily.

"While that sounds like a good idea, I can't think of a good place to take you zombies to, considering your appearances," replied Kotarou. "Makeups won't necessary help in the long run, so I'm afraid you will have no choice but to hang out in the mansion and rest."

"Boring... What's there to do here anyway?" asked Saki.

"It's not like we don't have a television to keep you entertained, and I'm allowing you to use my computer for entertainment as well," Kotarou told her. "Anyway, if I do come up with any fun ideas, I'll let you know. All right, meeting adjourned!"

* * *

Later, the zombies were together in the living room, sitting and standing around with relatively bored looks. "Geez, exactly how much does that guy care about us?" grumbled Saki as she reclined on the sofa. "It's like we are his prisoners that we have to stay cooped up in here all day..."

"It can't be helped considering what we are," said Ai.

"All the more reason we should expose ourselves," said Saki. "Man, I really want to go out there and shout to everyone that I'm a zombie right now..."

"Lily really wants to go somewhere fun..." said Lily as he lied he kicked his legs slowly while seated on the sofa. "Maybe we should go back to the Mushroom Kingdom, where the people happily accept us."

"I wonder how Mario and the others are doing," said Junko.

"The pipe hasn't shown up all this time, so it's unsure if we will ever be able to see them again," Yuugiri reminded her.

"I'm sure the pipe will definitely show up again," said a hopeful Sakura. "They promised us they would make it appear, so I'm sure they will keep their words!"

* * *

"Well, that didn't take-a long!" Mario said to himself with a smile as he looked at the large mansion before him. It took only a few minutes of running around before he finally came across this building.

He remembered that Franchouchou wanted to keep their living quarters a secret from the public, so he refrained from asking people for directions. He thought to himself that in a place with few buildings and mostly empty lots, it shouldn't be too hard finding a large mansion, and sure enough, he was proven right.

Walking up to the gate and pushing it open, Mario approached the front door and took a deep breath before knocking on it. "I hope-a theez eez really da place," he told himself.

* * *

As Sakura was returning to the living room, she heard someone knocking at the door. Surprised, she said in her mind, "What?! Someone's knocking at the door?! Who can it be?! Nobody's ever knocked at the door before!"

The mansion was believed by the public to be abandoned, so it made sense that nobody ever came to this place, which also made it the perfect place for the zombies to live at. As the person continued to knock on the door, Sakura panicked and wondered what to do. Should she keep quiet and pretend that nobody was home, or should she go and get Kotarou to answer it.

Obviously, she couldn't open it herself, as she didn't have her makeup currently, and even if she did, it would be bad if the public found out where Franchouchou lives.

Just as she was wondering about this, the person out there called out, "Eez anybody home? It's-a me, Mario!"

Sakura's eyes widened when he heard the voice and the person's name. "Mario?!" She then rushed to the door and opened it, and to her surprise, she saw the plumber in red standing out there.

Taking off his hat to greet her, Mario said with a large smile, "Sakura! Surprise to see me?"

"Mario! It really is you!" she said excitedly. "I didn't expect to see you at all!" She then turned to the living room and called out loudly, "Everyone! Mario is here!"

Immediately, the other zombies rushed out of the living room and were as surprised as her to see Mario standing at the doorway. "Mario!" said Lily happily.

"Wow! It really is you!" said Saki excitedly.

"My, what a surprise!" commented Yuugiri.

Mario came inside, and then Sakura closed the door. Everyone gathered around the plumber with excitement and chatted with him. Tae also bit him lightly in the head, or rather, his hat, though he didn't mind at all, as he already knew the mindless zombie's habit.

"Wow! It's so good to see you! I didn't expect you to pop up here at all!" Saki said to him.

"How did you get here?" Ai asked him.

"Same way you used for going to my world and then back-a here!" Mario told her. "Professa E. Gadd managed to establish a link with your world again, and theez time, da Golden Pipe won't-a disappear when used!"

"That means we can go to your world and return whenever we want to?" asked Lily, and the plumber nodded in response.

"All right! We get to go to Mushroom Kingdom again!" exclaimed Saki as she threw her arms into the air. Sakura, Lily, and Tae jumped with joy in response.

"What's with all the noise?!" shouted an annoyed Kotarou as he came down the stairs. "Can't you stupid zombies keep quiet?!" He then saw Mario, and his attitude immediately changed to be nicer-sounding. "Oh, hello there."

The zombies thought he would freak out to see someone else in the mansion, so they were surprised to see that he his response was calm. Mario waved at him and said, "Are you their produca? Eet'z nice to meet-a you! My name eez Mario!"

* * *

Soon afterwards, everyone was a the living room. Mario was on the sofa, while Kotarou sat on a couch. Mario had told the producer about how the zombies went to his world and their time there, thus verifying what they told the latter seven weeks ago.

"I never doubted them, actually," Kotarou told Mario. "And also, thank you for looking after them while they were there. I hope they hadn't caused you any trouble."

"Hey, how much trouble can we cause?" an offended Saki asked him.

"Well, there's Tae..." Junko reminded her, though Saki pretended she didn't hear that.

"Don't-a worry; they are very nice girls!" Mario told Kotarou. "They got-a along with everyone there nicely. Even though they are zombies, da people of my world are not-a afraid of them at all!"

"That's good to know," said Kotarou.

"So... do da people here know da truth about these girls yet?" asked Mario.

"We haven't revealed out identities to the public yet," Sakura told him. "However, we did tease them a bit to make them guess, hoping that they will eventually figure it out themselves and potentially make things... For the lack of better terms, less shocking..."

"Well, so long as things are under control, that's-a good," said Mario.

"You have to understand, Mister Mario, that in our world, supernatural concepts such as zombies shouldn't exist," Kotarou told him. "Furthermore, the reputation of zombies aren't all that good thanks to their portrayal in medias. Who knows what sort of backlash and panic may result from the idols' identities being exposed. That said, I do understand that they cannot hide themselves forever, but rest assure that I have everything under control and am prepared for the day when this comes."

"Why don't you just spill it out what you have in mind already?" Saki said to him in a annoyed tone, but Kotarou ignored her.

"I can tell that-a you wish da best for theez girls," Mario said to the producer. "Anyway, I am wondering if da idols have any interest in visiting my world again, since the connection between our worlds have been reestablished, so traveling between da two at all times eez no longer an issue."

"Hell yeah! We're going!" said Saki excitedly.

"Lily wants to go to again!" said Lily excitedly. Tae let out an excited-sounding cry as well.

"I would totally love to!" said Sakura.

"It would be great!" said Junko.

"Why not? It's not like we have anything to do around these days," said Ai.

"I would love to go back there too!" said Yuugiri.

"Well, if you zombies really want to, then go ahead," Kotarou said to them. "Just remember not to be away for too long. You are still needed back here."

"You're really letting us go?" Sakura asked Kotarou, who nodded in response.

"Like I said, there are no idol events in these coming days, so if you have nothing to do, go ahead and have fun," the producer told her.

Sakura was excited to hear this, as well as her companions. "Thank you very much, Tatsumi!"

* * *

That night, the zombies were ready to go to the Mushroom Kingdom with Mario. They chose to leave at night because there were little to no people outside during this time of the day. It was also for this reason they decided not to put on makeups. They were dressed in their "default" school uniforms. In Yuugiri and Tae's cases, it's Japanese clothing and nun clothing respectively.

After packing a bit of luggage containing clothing, the zombies all gathered at the front door of the mansion with Mario. Romero was going with them as well. Kotarou was there to see them off. "We're leaving now, Tatsumi," Sakura said to him.

"Have fun," he told them.

"Why don't you come with us?" Lily asked him. "I'm sure you can use a bit of vacation."

"It's all right. I need to stay here and look after the mansion and also prepare for your future events," the producer told them.

"Well, don't miss us too much," Saki said to him.

"Rest assure that they will all be safe under my protection!" Mario told the producer.

The zombies said good-bye to their producer before stepping outside with Mario. Once out there, they hurriedly ran in the direction of the sewer. "Quick! Let's-a get there before anyone sees us!" said Mario.

"I don't think we'll run into anyone during this time of the day," said Saki. She was proven wrong when suddenly a policeman holding a flashlight appeared before them, shining the light onto them. A look of horror appeared on the zombies' faces as they realized it was the same policeman who constantly ran into them.

The policeman just stared at them without saying anything, and then he said, "Screw this... I'll just pretend its a bad dream like always..." Then he turned around and walked away.

The zombies and Mario were confused about his behavior. "Wow... He sure took-a theez very easily..." commented the plumber. "Eez he someone you know?"

"We have run-ins with him rather often... Guess he's used to this..." said Sakura.

"I'm surprised he hasn't spread the word about us yet..." said Ai.

The group pressed forward until they arrived at the manhole Mario came out of. Looking around to make sure nobody was watching, they jumped inside and made their way through the place until they came across the Golden Pipe. The zombies were glad to see the large shiny pipe sticking out of the wall, with rainbow-colored light pouring out from within it. "It really is the Golden Pipe!" said Junko happily.

"It is good to see it again!" said Yuugiri.

"How did you manage to make it not disappear?" Ai asked Mario.

"It turns out that-a as long as there eez something in eet, eet'll never disappear," Mario told them. He then pointed at what appeared to be a lengthy tape at the side of the pipe wall. "You see theez tape? E. Gadd prepared theez super long tape for me to carry all da way here and tape-a eet here so that there eez always something inside da pipe to keep-a eet from disappearing."

"Huh, that's an easy solution," commented Lily.

"Anyway, let's-a go!" Mario told them. He was going to go inside the pipe when Ai brought up something.

"Wait, won't we get separated again like last time?" she asked him.

"Don't-a worry about-a that!" Mario told her. "Theez tape will serve as a barricade to keep-a uz traveling togetha! We will definitely arrive at Mushroom Kingdom togetha!"

"You sure?" asked a skeptical Ai.

"Oh, come on! Stop worrying so much, will ya?!" Saki said to her. "They've put all their effort into making our reunion possible, so nothing will definitely go wrong."

"Fine, fine..." grumbled Ai.

Mario then went into the pipe, immediately followed by everyone else. They were greeted with the same rainbow scenery they saw when they first entered the pipe back then, and it was still a sight that amazed them. "I still get amazed by how beautiful this is!" said Junko.

"Indeed, I can never get tired of this sight!" said Yuugiri.

"Okay, we're going for da slide now," Mario said to them. "Here we go!" He then sat down and moved forward to slide down the pipe. Seeing this, the other zombies sat down before sliding down the pipe one by one.

The group of eight, or nine if one includes Romero, traveled down the pipe at a fast speed and traveled in paths that winded up and down and left and right. Thanks to the tape to their left side serving as a makeshift barrier, they all stayed in the same path, even when they came to a fork that separated them previously.

After about a minute of sliding around at a fast speed, they all shot out of the pipe and were greeted with the night sky once again. Mario landed in front of the pipe, while everyone else landed around him and the pipe. All except Sakura and Junko landed on their feet; those two landed on their rear ends.

"We're here!" said Mario.

Looking around, the zombies saw streetlights lighting up the night scenery of Toad Town. There were lights coming out from within the windows, and they could see a couple of Toads walking around the place. As it was nighttime, there were few people outside at the moment.

"Great to see this place again!" said Saki happily as she took some steps forward while looking around. "Nothing's change!"

"Well, it's been only seven weeks. I doubt anything would change," Sakura said to her while standing back up.

"By da way, da princess knows you are coming today, so she reserved for you girls a room at a five-star hotel to stay at," Mario told them.

"Five-star hotel?! Wow! That's great!" exclaimed Lily.

"What does five-star mean?" asked Yuugiri.

Turning to her, Lily explained, "It means the hotel is very luxurious and high quality. Famous and rich people usually stay in those kinds of hotels."

"I will then tell da princess about-a you, and she will go to da hotel to meet-a you," Mario said to them.

"I can't wait to see Princess Peach again!" said Sakura with enthusiasm.

The plumber led down through the place, and they ran across a Toad. "Hey Mario! Didn't expect to see you out here during this time of the night," the Toad said to him in a high-pitched, raspy voice.

"Good-a evening, Toad!" Mario said to him. "Look who I brought-a with me!" He pointed his hand at the zombies, who waved back at him.

Toad leaned forward to get a better look, as it was nighttime, and the streetlights didn't actually help makes things any better. He freaked out when he saw what they were. "ZOMBIES!"

The zombies were surprised by his response, and then Saki said to him, "Have you forgotten who we are?!"

Toad took a better look again and then said, "Oh! It's you girls! You're back?! Wow! I didn't expect this!"

"Mario didn't tell you we were coming back today?" Sakura asked him.

"Yeah, I didn't tell him," Mario said to her. "Only a few people know about-a theez, as I want-a to keep eet a secret."

Toad walked up to the zombies and stretched out his hand to shake Saki's. "Nice to see you girls back here again!" he happily said to them. "All this time, we have been talking a lot about how awesome you girls are and how much we wanted to see you again! Your merchandises sold really well!"

"Our merchandises?" asked Ai curiously.

Toad nodded. "Yeah, after your awesome performance, many merchandises with your pictures printed on were sold. They went out of stock in a short amount of time!"

"Wow! We're that famous and well-loved here? I can't believe it!" said Sakura happily.

"You better believe it!" Toad said to her. "I actually bought some and kept them at home. I can show you them if you want to!"

"We can save that-a for tomorrow, for we need-a to go their hotel da princess reserved for them," Mario told him.

"Okay, we'll meet again tomorrow!" said Toad. "Hope you girls have a fun time here again!"

"We will!" Sakura said to him.

They waved good-bye to Toad and then followed Mario through the place to get to the castle. Along the way, they met some passing by Toads who recognized them, so they stopped for a few seconds to greet them, with the promise that they would meet again more properly in the morning.

* * *

Mario took the zombies to a tall and grand building with a golden mushroom cap at the top. The interior of the building was even more spectacular, with beautiful and high quality decorations everywhere. There was even a fountain in the middle of the lobby.

"Wow! This place looks so beautiful!" said Sakura in awe.

"I can't believe we're going to stay in this kind of place!" said Saki happily.

"When I was still alive, I've stayed in five-star hotels before, so this isn't actually new to me," Junko told them.

"Good for you, since my idol group and I never got to stay in such places like this," said Ai in response.

Mario went up to the front desk and told the receptionist about the room that was reserved under Peach's name. The receptionist took a few seconds to look up the name and then confirmed that the princess did indeed reserve a room for the Franchouchou. After receiving the key to the room, Mario told the zombies that they could go to their rooms now.

The zombies were excited to hear this, and then a hotel staff came over and said that he would guide them to their room and even offered to help carry their luggage, though they declined and said that they could do it by themselves. The hotel staff then guided the zombies and Mario to an elevator and rode it to the highest floor, the tenth floor.

After arriving there, the zombies were taken to their room, or rather, suite. When the door was open, they were greeted with a large and beautiful suite. It had a living room, a kitchen, and two bedrooms, each of them containing a total of four king-sized beds.

"Wow! We're going to live here?! I can't believe it!" said Sakura with sparkling eyes.

"What a wonderful living quarters!" commented Yuugiri.

Lily and Saki wasted no time and throwing their luggage onto the sofa and then running around the place to explore. The hotel staff gave them a brief introduction of the various aspects of the room and how to use certain pieces of equipment. After he was done, he asked, "Is there anything else I can help you with?"

"Can you please contact Princess Peach and let-a them know that-a Franchouchou eez here?" Mario asked him. "She will definitely come over once she learns of theez."

"I will do it right away, sir. I hope you enjoy your stay here!" said the hotel staff before leaving the room.

Mario then turned to the zombies and said, "I hope theez place is suitable for you!"

"It's more than perfect! It's grander than the ones I've stayed at when I was alive!" said Junko. "Thank you so much for preparing such a place for us!"

"You should thank da princess when she come!" Mario told her with a smile.

"Man! Check out the bathroom! The bath tub is like a miniature swimming pool!" said Saki as she poked her head out of the bathroom.

"The bed is so cushy and comfortable!" said Lily happily as he lied down on one of the beds and moved his arms and legs as if trying to create an angel imprint. Tae was on another bed, bouncing up and down on it.

"Never I thought I would be able to be in this kind of place!" said Ai as she plopped down onto the cushy sofa.

"We really are fortunate, aren't we?" Yuugiri asked her.

Saki turned to Mario and asked him, "So... what's new while we were gone?"

"Nothing new, really," replied Mario. "Life eez still da same as usual."

"Is Bowser still an issue?" the blonde zombie asked him. "You claim he is still somehow alive after we kicked his butt."

Mario shrugged. "Haven't seen him since you defeated him that-a time, so I don't-a know. I wouldn't be surprised eef he eez still alive and plotting something, though."

"Well, tell him to come! We'll be sure to give him a beating again!" said Saki with confidence while flexing an arm.

The phone then rang, and Junko picked it up. "Hello? Yes... Okay, we'll go down there soon!" She hung up the phone and said to the others, "The receptionist said she's contacted the princess, who is on her way here."

"That's great!" said Sakura happily.

"Then let's-a get ready to go down there to meet-a her!" said Mario.

* * *

The zombies and Mario arrived at the lobby, where they saw Peach, Toadsworth, and some soldiers arriving at the same moment. Approaching the latter group, Mario took off his hat and bowed down before Peach, and the zombies did the same. "Sorry that I took-a so long," Mario said to her.

"It's all right. I'm sure there were complications in getting them here," Peach said to him.

"It's an honor to meet you again, princess!" Ai said to Peach.

"It's great to see you girls again! You may raise your heads now!" Peach said to them, and they did so. "I welcome you to Mushroom Kingdom again! I hope you will enjoy your stay here like last time!"

"Thank you for inviting us back here, princess!" Sakura happily said to her.

Romero ran up to Toadsworth, who bent down to pick him up. "My good boy! It's great to see you again!" the elder Toad happily said to him. The zombie dog happily wagged his tail and also licked him in the face. "Heheh! It's a good thing you can't turn people into zombies with licks or even anything!"

Toadsworth then looked up to see Tae looking at him. "Well, we meet again, young lady," he said to her with a not so impressed look. "I hope you have learned to behave yourself this time." Tae nodded in response. "I'll take that as a yes. I do hope you act more like a real lady this time around, even if you still cannot speak."

"Don't worry; we'll keep an eye on her," Sakura assured him.

"Your performance left quite an impact on the people here. They all love you!" Peach told the zombies. "They don't know that you are returning, so I'm sure your appearance will definitely be a huge surprise tomorrow!"

"We're looking forward to seeing their faces!" said an enthusiastic Saki.

"If they want to, we will hold a performance for them again," said Ai. "We brought some discs containing songs we can use to play during the performances!"

"I'm sure the citizens will definitely enjoy it! We look forward to seeing you perform again!" Peach said to them.

"We won't disappoint you, princess!" Sakura said to her.

"By the way, this may be a bit sudden, but I'm going on a trip two days from now," Peach said to them. "Since you are still considered new to this world, I was wondering if you would like to accompany me and discover more things about this world. I'm going to New Donk City, the capital of Metro Kingdom, and then to a popular vacation hot spot called Isle Delfino after that."

Mario said to the zombies, "Luigi and I are going with da princess too. Theez eez a great opportunity, so I recommend-a eet!"

"Really? We can go with you?" asked Junko, and Peach nodded.

"You are more than welcome to accompany me! In fact, I actually wish that you will go!" Peach said to her.

"How can we give no for an answer? We're definitely tagging along!" said Saki.

"Lily wants to go too!" said Lily excitedly.

"All right! We'll be leaving two days from now!" Peach told them. "In the meantime, please enjoy your stay here! I'm sure everyone will be glad to see you tomorrow!"

* * *

Peach, her men, and Mario eventually left, returning to their places to turn in for the night, while the zombies returned to their suite. "All right! We're going on a trip soon!" said Lily happily while throwing his arms into the air.

"A trip within a trip... How funny!" commented Sakura.

"Can't wait to see all the excited faces of the people when they see us tomorrow! It's going to be a blast!" said Saki happily.

Looking at the clock, Ai saw that it was already ten at night. "In that case, let's hit the sack now if we want to get to tomorrow quick."

"We haven't taken a bath yet, so I'm going to go take one now," said Junko.

"Oh yeah! Let's all take a bath together!" suggested Saki. "I'm sure the bath tub should be able to fit us all!"

"No thanks... I looked at the bath tub earlier, and six people is too much..." Ai said to her.

"Six? You mean seven?" Saki said to her.

"Yes, six," Ai assured her with a nod, and then she shifted her eyes to Lily. "Because I'm very sure Lily has enough chivalry to not get into bath with us..."

"Though like I said before, I don't mind, since Lady Lily is just a child," said Yuugiri with a smile as she eyed the young zombie, who politely declined while waving his hand, all the while blushing a bit.

* * *

The next morning, the zombies, wearing their "public performance" clothing, the ones with number designations on their shirts, had waken up from their good night's sleep. They were even treated with breakfast taken straight to their suite by the hotel staff.

After finishing up their delicious breakfast, they began making their way out of the building. Taking the lead, Saki said to her companions, "So... ready to take on the world?"

"If you mean greeting our fans, sure!" said Sakura with a nod happily. "I can't wait to see how everyone will react upon seeing us!"

"Lily is looking forward to this!" said Lily with enthusiasm.

The zombies made their way out of the hotel's front door, and the moment they stepped out, they were greeted with a large number of Mushroom Kingdom citizens standing out there, some of them holding signs that displayed welcome messages. "WELCOME BACK, FRANCHOUCHOU!" they all shouted.

The zombies were surprised to see this, as they did not expect the townsfolk to come over to surprise them. "Wow! They've already prepared to welcome us!" said Junko.

"How did word spread out so fast?!" said Ai in shock.

The crowd then parted way for Peach to come forward with Toadsworth. "Good morning, Franchouchou!" she cheerfully greeted them. "I hope you had a good sleep last night!"

"We did, princess!" Sakura told her.

"You see, I actually made an announcement yesterday that you all were coming back, so the townsfolk happily prepared to meet you," Peach explained to them. "Since you didn't show up the during the day, they thought you were likely arriving at night, so they decided to give you this surprise today instead. I hope you like it!"

"We love it!" said Saki happily. "Nothing makes us happier than being welcomed by our fans!"

The zombies stepped forward as the crowd closed in around them to greet them.

"Welcome back, Franchouchou!"

"We miss you so much!"

"It's so great to see you again!"

"You girls are as beautiful as always!"

"I love you! Please take a picture with me!"

"Please shake hands with me!"

"Can you dance and sing for us anytime soon?"

The zombies happily greeted their fans and interacted with them. Junko showed embarrassment and even slight fear, however, and hid behind Yuugiri, though she still smiled and waved at those who wanted to greet her. She was still not used to interacting with her fans up close.

Some children were happily gathered around Tae as the she lifted one of them into the air. The young Toad lifted into the air happily laughed as he looked down at the zombie playing with him. He was even more excited when she placed him onto her shoulders to give him a ride. The other kids jumped up and down happily, begging to ride on her as well.

Seeing this and feeling happy for Tae, Sakura said, "Looks like you're really popular with children, Tae!"

Some people even played with Romero, and the zombie dog enjoyed their company.

* * *

For the rest of the day, Franchouchou traveled around, greeting and interacting with the people. They soon held a miniature concert at the park, where they used a radio provided by someone to play some of their songs so that they could dance to them.

The audiences watched with great joy, cheering for them and clapping their hands. The zombies were having a great time performing for them and also enjoying the appreciation they were getting.

Later, the zombies were shown the merchandises created based on them. Such merchandises included cups, shirts, towels, figurines and more.

Saki thought it was great to have her face plastered onto several things, and she especially liked that there were figurines of her. Junko seemed to have issues with her figurines, however, and even felt embarrassed that such things were made.

* * *

After a long day of playing out in town, the zombies were going to return to their hotel. On their way back, Saki said, "Man! What a day! I had lots of fun today!" She then held up the figurine of herself. "And I even got something cool! They sure put in a lot of effort into making a toy of me look really awesome!"

"Lily agrees too!" said Lily, looking at a figurine of himself. He then removed the head. "They even made the head and limbs removable!" He then turned to Yuugiri, who was looking at her own figurine. The courtesan had an unimpressed look as she removed its head. "You don't have to remove it if you feel uncomfortable about it, Sister Yuugiri..."

"I'm not sure how I feel about this..." said Junko while looking at her own figurine. She looked underneath the skirt to see that it was just flat surface there with no details. "At least they omitted the embarrassing parts..."

The group then ran into Mario and Luigi, and the green plumber happily greeted them.

"How wuz your day today?" the red plumber asked them.

"It was great!" Saki said to him. "Where have you two been all day?"

"We were busy with plumba work," Mario told them. "But good thing we're taking a break to go on vacation with Peach tomorrow. You're coming along, right?"

"You bet we are!" replied the blonde zombie happily.

"I hope-a you look forward to eet!" Mario said to them. "We'll be leaving at morning around eleven. Da princess told-a uz to go to her castle to wait-a for her."

"Okay, we'll be ready by then," Ai told them.

"I'm sure eet'll be a great trip!" Mario said to them.

"By the way, we haven't seen Professor E. Gadd yet," Yuugiri said to plumber. "We would like to thank him for making it possible for us to return again."

"Professa E. Gadd went traveling," Luigi told her. "I'm sure you'll be able to thank him some otha time."

* * *

The next morning, the Mario Bros. and the zombies gathered at Peach's castle, and then the princess came out with Toadsworth and some servants to take them to the transportation device that would take them to New Donk City.

When they arrived at the transportation device, Junko turned completely pale, more so than the paler parts of her skin, upon seeing what it was.

Why?

Because they were going to ride an airplane.

* * *

TO BE CONTINUED

Welcome to the sequel to Zombies' Superstar Saga! I'm sure all of you have been waiting for this! Thank you for your patience! This story has officially begun! I'm sure this will be a lot more exciting than the first installment, so please look forward to things!

I don't really have that much ideas with Get With the Times! currently, so don't really expect any more chapters from that in the coming days, unless new ideas suddenly come to me. As for Justice on Two Worlds... Let's just say I will still work on that, but just don't expect fast updates for it, okay?

In case you haven't figured it out, the beginning of the story with the Koopalings takes place around the same time as when Bowser and Franchouchou first met. Remember Kamek saying they went on a mission, and later in the post credit scene, they returned to report to Bowser their findings? Yeah, the beginning is detailing what they were doing on their mission. I hope I made things clear.


	2. Welcome to New Donk City!

**Chapter 2  
Welcome to New Donk City!**

* * *

Peach's personal pink airplane, after flying through the air for about about four hours, finally reached its destination.

The plane made its landing in the airport terminal, and soon, the passengers inside made their way off the flying machine via a staircase brought before the hatch. Notable people on board included Peach, Toadsworth, Toad, the Mario Bros., and Franchouchou, which includes Romero.

Junko still had a look of nervousness on her face as she walked down the staircase and with her hand on her chest. After making it to the bottom, Sakura placed her hand on her shoulder and said, "Are you all right, Junko?"

"I'm just glad the flight was a safe one..." replied the white-haired zombie. "Thanks goodness..."

"Sorry that you had to go through that, but there was no other way to get to New Donk City, and taking a ship would take far too long," Peach told her.

"It's all right... I understand this," Junko said to her. "I'll try my best to get over my fear of heights and airplane rides."

"In da end, eet'z good that da trip eez safe and sound! Now you get-a to enjoy in theez place!" Mario said to her.

Toadsworth then saw a bus approaching them. "There's our tour bus!" he said.

Everyone approached the bus, while the airport staff removed their luggage from the airplane to load them onto the bus's luggage compartment. It was a double-decker bus, the lower floor having a television and a couple of tables.

"Oh neat! I love these kinds of buses!" said Ai happily. "I remember when I was in Iron Frill, our group would sit together at the bottom floor, happily chatting and watching TV together! Those were the good old days!"

"Then let's help you reminiscence that by sitting down below!" suggested Sakura, and the other zombies agreed.

* * *

Throughout the bus ride, the zombies happily chatted with each other and also enjoyed the scenery they saw outside the bus windows. Upstairs, Mario and co. were also enjoying themselves in their own way.

Eventually, the bus came to a stop at a park, and the passengers all got down. The zombies looked around with large smiles on their faces and saw that there were several people, most of them humans, frolicking around in the park. There were large skyscrapers as far as they could see and vehicles of various kinds driving up and down the streets.

"Welcome, girls, to New Donk City!" Mario said to them while pointing his hand around the place.

"It reminds me a lot of New York City back in our world," commented Ai. "Even the name is similar-sounding!"

"Come to think of it, I haven't been to big cities like Tokyo in a while already, even when I was alive," said Saki.

"This is my first time in this sort of location," said Yuugiri.

"Feel free to tour the place," Toadsworth told them. "The tour bus will remain here. After about an hour and a half, come back here, and the bus will take us to our hotel to check in."

"I hope you girls enjoy your time here!" Peach said to them.

"I've been here before, so I'll take-a you on a tour!" Mario told the zombies, who thanked him.

"By the way, you think eet'z really all right for you girls to go around-a without your make-a-up?" Luigi asked the zombies. "Because I don't-a think your faces have reached theez far yet..."

"Nah, we're totally cool with it!" said Saki. "Regardless of what people think of us, we're going to proudly show them how we really look like without fear!"

"I'll show them how cute I am even as a zombie!" said Lily.

"I'm sure it'll be fine so long as you are with us," Sakura said to Mario.

"I hope everything goes well for you!" said Peach. "Oh right, there is one thing I have to give you." She then told Toadsworth to give the zombies something.

The elder Toad took out a golden card and handed it to Ai. "Take this. It's your credit card that you can withdraw money from using the ATM. The money you've earned from your performance and also some of the ones made by selling your merchandises are saved into your account."

"You did this for us?!" said Ai in surprise.

Peach nodded. "Indeed! We believe that you will come back here again, and you might be needing cash when you do, so I made a bank account for you and put in some investments."

"Thank you very much, Your Highness!" said Junko while bowing down to her. "We really appreciate your help!"

"All right! Let's-a go and have some fun!" said Mario while punching the air.

* * *

**BGM: New Donk City (Super Mario Odyssey)**

The Mario Bros. took the zombies around the bustling metropolis. They visited the largest department store of the place and went window shopping. Even though the zombies had quite a bit of money in their bank account, the merchandises were so expensive that they didn't want to spend their cash too much.

They stopped by a toy store to look at some of the things there. Lily picked up a Poochy doll and happily gave it a big squeeze. Ai, on the other hand, found great interest in a Goomba doll, which had a grumpy expression. Saki was at the video game corner, watching some of the teenagers there playing the games with great interest.

Later, they went to a boutique to check out some of the clothes. Junko tried out some of the fancier-looking dresses and asked her companions how she looks in them, and they gave good comments. Yuugiri also tried out some dresses. Not only did she earn praises from her companions, but also from other people who saw her. The latter was all mesmerized by her beauty, despite her abnormal skin color.

They also went to the food center of to get something to eat. Fortunately, the dishes there weren't too expensive, and their qualities were still good.

There was an indoor fountain, so the zombies gathered in front of it for Luigi to take a picture of them. Tae tried drinking from the fountain, which attracted unnecessary attention, so Sakura tried to pull her away from the water in embarrassment.

A guy dressed in a Super Mushroom mascot suit showed up to have fun with the children. Tae ran to him, pounced onto the suit, and began biting it. The mascot fell to the floor while flailing his limbs in an attempt to get the zombie off, and her companions hurriedly tried to remove her and also apologized to the mascot. Needless to say, this attracted lots of attention. Some people laughed, while some were shocked by Tae's behavior.

And speaking of attention, some people did take note of the zombie's skin colors, but nobody seemed to figure out what they are. The zombies noticed this but tried to pay no attention to them. Saki actually looked proud about the attention she was receiving, but Ai had a rather uneasy and even embarrassed look.

**BGM Ends**

* * *

When they were done touring the department store, they went outside and continued to look for something else to do. "We still have some time before we go back to da bus," said Mario, looking at his watch. "We'll take a walk around and see eef there eez anything fun to do. How are you girls enjoying yourselves?"

"It was really fun!" replied Sakura.

"Good-a to know you enjoyed eet!" Luigi said with a smile.

"Mario! Is that you?!" said someone all of a sudden. Mario and co. looked and saw a group of primates standing there.

"Donkey Kong!" said Mario in surprise. "Wow! I didn't expect-a to see you here!"

The group of Kongs consisting of Donkey, Diddy, Dixie, Funky, and Cranky walked up to Mario and co. Donkey, the one who called out to Mario just now, happily said to the plumber, "I'm surprised to see you here as well! What brings you here to New Donk City? We came here for a vacation."

"Yeah, it's boring getting cooped up on our island all day long, so we decided that we needed some fresh air!" said Funky. "Cranky here suggested this place, as he had some memories of it back in the days, or so he claims."

"We came here yesterday and had been living at a hotel," Donkey said to Mario.

"We just-a arrived with Peach," Mario told him. "Are you enjoying yourselves?"

"We sure am!" said Donkey.

"By da way, I would like to introduce you to these girls," said Mario while pointing at the zombies. "They're good friends and also idols from Mushroom Kingdom! They're known as Franchouchou!"

"Hello! It's nice to meet you folks! I'm Sakura Minamoto!" Sakura cheerfully said to them while waving her hand, and the other zombies except Tae, who simply let out a cry, introduced themselves as well.

"Nice to meet you girls!" Dixie happily said to them. "You're idols? You must be new, because I'm into idol, music, and such, but I've never heard of a group called Franchouchou before."

"Yeah, you can say that... We are indeed new," said Sakura. She wasn't wrong, because they were still considered relatively new to this world. Their performance at the Mushroom Kingdom weeks ago apparently hadn't been known everywhere yet.

"Nice zombie cosplay, by the way," said Diddy. "You look really convincing! Are zombies the theme of your group?"

"This isn't cosplay," said Saki, and then she removed her head without hesitation, much to the surprise of onlookers. "We're real zombies!"

"Wow! Nice trick there!" commented Funky.

"No, this is not a trick. This is real!" said Saki as she put her head back on. "We're actual zombies, came back from the grave and all! Try to feel our heartbeats if you don't believe me! You'll fine none!"

"Yeah, they're zombies," Mario told the Kongs. "But don't-a worry; they're not-a dangerous at all! They're very nice zombies!"

"Zombies, huh? They don't make zombies like how they used to!" said Cranky. "I remember when zombies made people scream in terror... They were covered in wounds and blood and went around craving fresh meat. Then they were shot dead and smashed to pieces!"

"Sorry to disappoint you, but... we don't crave fresh meat..." Saki told him.

"Yeah, and we don't have blood all over our bodies, though we still have our wounds from when we were alive," said Lily. "But even so, Lily is still super cute!" He said this while striking a cute pose involving holding up a peace sign.

"Well, this sure is interesting..." said Donkey. "But as long as you are Mario's friends, then you must really be good people! I'm Donkey Kong! It's nice to meet you girls!" The other Kongs except Cranky introduced themselves afterwards.

Mario then noticed that Cranky was glaring at him, so he waved at him with a friendly smile. "Hello, Donkey Senior! How's it been?" When the zombies heard this, they were confused as to why he called the elderly gorilla by such a name.

Cranky looked at him with a frustrated expression and said, "It's been a while all right, Jumpman. I hope you're enjoying your fame!" Hearing what Cranky called Mario also confused the zombies.

"Cheer up, Donkey Kong! All those are in the past now! I'm no longer angry at you, and I admit that what I did back-a then was terrible of me," Mario said to him, sounding apologetic.

"Yeah, yeah... Let the past go and whatnot..." said Cranky in an annoyed tone. "Maybe it's easy for you to forget the past, but to think that someone like who did such a terrible thing to me back then can enjoy the life of a celebrity nowadays annoys me!" Waving his cane at the plumber, he continued, "Enjoy your life while you can, Jumpman! The day will come when your past comes back haunting you!"

"Grandpa, just let it go already, okay?" Donkey said to Cranky. "It's all in the past already. I'm sure Mario felt sorry for what he did to you all those years ago. Plus, you were the one who started this whole thing in the first place! You should be apologizing to him as well!"

"And he thought it was okay to come up with an unfitting form of retribution?! I would've died if my son hadn't rescued me!" said Cranky, starting to get angrier. "Poor child, having to witness his father getting kidnapped by a madman and then rescuing him, thus putting his life in danger as a result... My poor son never had a happy life growing up, and now he's gone missing, never to be seen again..."

"All right, I think it's time we stop..." said Diddy.

The other Kongs agreed, so they convinced Cranky to leave. The elderly gorilla looked back and continued to rant angrily at Mario, and Dixie apologized to the latter's group.

When the Kongs were some distance away, Saki asked, "What was that all about...?"

Mario let out a sigh and replied, "A ratha unpleasant part-a of my past... I didn't always have da best times in my youth..."

"What happened?" asked Ai.

Luigi looked at Mario with a worried look and asked him, "Do you really want-a to tell them about-a theez?"

"Eet'z okay..." replied Mario in a sad tone, and then he looked at the zombies. "In my younga days, I studied college here in New Donk City, and back-a then, I had a girlfriend named Pauline. At that-a time, Cranky, known as Donkey Kong back-a then, appeared and kidnapped her."

"That old gorilla kidnapped your girlfriend?!" asked Lily in shock.

Mario nodded. "Cranky at that-a time was in his prime, a very strong and large gorilla. I went afta him in order to rescue Pauline, and our chase ended up in a construction site. In an attempt to rescue Pauline, I ended up destroying da incomplete building, causing Cranky to fall and greatly injuring him.

"Even though I rescued Pauline, da experience traumatized her greatly, and she went into seclusion and more or less became a different person for da worse, even distancing herself from me... To make-a matta worse, I wuz sued for destroying aforementioned building and had to pay a large amount of sum...

"That-a problem combined with Pauline distancing herself from me more or less drove me insane, so I sought revenge on Cranky by imprisoning him with da intentioning of killing him eventually..."

The zombies shocked when they heard this. They never expected that a hero like Mario would have such a past and used to be such a person.

"Then his son, Donkey Kong Junior, who was a teen that-a time, came to rescue his fatha, but I tried to stop him and take his life..." continued Mario with a sad look. "Though in da end, Junior managed to rescue his fatha, and da conflict resulted in me getting hospitalized... It was then that-a I realized how foolish I wuz... I wuz blinded with rage that I did something that I might-a regret..."

"What about Pauline? Did she ever recover from the her shock?" asked a concerned Junko.

"Pauline did eventually recova, but we neva got-a togetha again and later went-a separate ways," replied Mario. "I moved to da Mushroom Kingdom to live, and Pauline eez still living here in New Donk-a City. I did meet-a her every once in a while afta moving to Mushroom Kingdom, and today, we are on good-a terms. We're just-a normal friends now. Pauline eez currently da mayor of New Donk City and also a famous singer."

"Wow! She's the mayor currently?!" asked Sakura in surprise, and Mario nodded in response.

"And... what did he mean by his son having gone missing?" Saki asked Mario.

"Eet'z just as he said. Junior went-a missing one day," said Mario. "I don't-a know da details, but he supposedly went on a trip or something one day and wuz neva heard-a from again. It's been years since people saw him, so he eez now presumed dead. Da current Donkey Kong you see now eez his son and therefore Cranky's grandson."

"Doesn't Donkey Kong look a bit too told if his father was a teen when he confronted you?" asked Yuugiri.

"Gorillas age slightly fasta than humans," Mario told her.

"Yeah, I learned about that in biology," confirmed Ai with a nod.

"Why did he call you Jumpman anyway?" Lily asked Mario.

"Becuz I was known for my jumping skills even back then, and eet wuz a nickname my classmates gave me," said Mario. "Cranky must've heard-a eet that-a time."

* * *

The Kongs were currently inside a restaurant and had just ordered food and was currently waiting for it to arrive. Cranky was still grumbling about how his day was ruined by running into an old enemy.

"Just drop it already, grandpa," Donkey said to him. "Mario clearly feels sorry for what he did, and like I said before, you were in the fault as well."

"Yeah, you picked a fight with him in the first place and kidnapped his girlfriend!" Diddy reminded him. "No wonder he would try to get back at you afterwards!"

"Doesn't matter who started it first! Once you've become enemies, the bitter feeling you have for each other will never disappear!" said Cranky angrily. "Seeing him standing proud and tall and enjoying all the fame he's received over the years makes me mad! Life is unfair! I used to be a lady's man back in the days. Strong, athletic, smart... I had everything!"

"You still have your family," Donkey told him. "That's more important than anything else!"

"Nothing is satisfying until I see Jumpman's downfall one day!" said Cranky angrily as he stood up from his chair.

"Where ya going?" Funky asked him.

"Going back to the hotel! No longer in the mood to eat!" replied the elderly gorilla as he left the restaurant.

"Um... Will he be all right...?" asked a worried Dixie while watching him leave.

"The hotel's only a few blocks away from here, so he should be fine," said Donkey. "I think we should just leave him be for a while and let him cool off eventually."

"Geez... I've known him for years and I still cannot get used to his crankiness..." grumbled Diddy.

* * *

Mario and co. came across a stage placed out in a plaza. People were gathered around it, and one the stage was a brown-haired woman in a red dress and a matching color hat. She was accompanied by a band that provided the music as she sang.

"Eet'z Pauline!" said Mario with a smile.

"You mean your old girlfriend and the mayor of this place?" asked Saki, to which he nodded in response.

Pauline sang the song Jump Up Superstar, which the audience enjoyed greatly and clapped their hands to its tune. The zombies also found themselves enjoying the same and clapped their hands along with everyone else.

"This is a nice song!" commented Junko. "And her voice is great as well!"

"Indeed!" agreed Ai with a nod.

The event was filmed and broadcast live. It so happened that Donkey and co. were watching this live show through a TV at the restaurant they were currently at. "That's the woman your grandpa kidnapped from Mario back then?" asked Dixie.

"Apparently so," replied Donkey.

Back at the plaza, Pauline continued to sing and made minimal dance movements. When she was finally done, there was a large round of applause. The zombies clapped their hands as well. "Wow! That was great!" said Sakura with a large smile.

"It's not often you see the leader of the people also being a performer!" said Yuugiri.

Pauline then said to everyone, "Thank you very much! I am glad you enjoyed the show! As you know, we are holding a mini event today where we challenge people to come on stage and perform! If you do well enough, you may get some sort of prize! Is there anyone who would like to come on stage to show off his or her talents? We're accepting one performer at a time!"

Hearing this, Saki said to her companions, "We should go up there and do something! Any one of us!"

Sakura agreed. "Great idea! Which of us wants to go up?"

"Me! Me!" said Lily happily while jumping up and down with her arm raised.

"I'll go!" said Junko happily. "I haven't performed solo since I died, so I would like to relive my old days!"

"You sure you want to do this?" Ai asked her, and the latter nodded before stepping forward.

Junko raised her arm and called out loud to grab Pauline's attention. Seeing the zombie, Pauline pointed her arm at her and called her to the stage. The people moved away for Junko to approach the stage and step onto it. "Nice to meet you, young lady!" Pauline said to her. "May I know your name please?"

"My name is Junko Konno," replied the zombie. "It is very nice to meet you all!"

"Let's give it a round of applause for Miss Konno!" said Pauline as she clapped her hands, and everyone else did the same. "You must have great faith in your talents if you want to come up here."

"I do!" said Junko with a nod. "I love singing and dancing, and I want to share with everyone my talents!" She then looked at the electric keyboard one of the band members was using. "Can I please use that... piano over there? I would like sing a song I wrote myself, but I'm afraid that your band members won't know how to provide the tune. I can play it out myself and also sing."

"Sure! Feel free to use it!" Pauline told her.

The keyboard player moved away as Junko went up to the musical instrument and sat down in front of it, and she had a microphone hanging down in front of her. Junko began playing on the keyboard while singing into the microphone. It was a slow-paced and peaceful-sounding song.

The audience was silent as they listened to her play the music and sing. Large smiles appeared on their faces, showing that they love what they heard. The zombies also love what they heard. "Wow! What a beautiful song!" said Sakura happily.

"I didn't know she can play the keyboard!" said Saki.

Back in the restaurant, the Kongs were enjoying the music as well. "She's good!" said Dixie. "I didn't know zombies can sing this well!"

Junko was eventually done with her performance, and then she stood up and took a bow, to which everyone responded with a large amount of cheers and clapping.

"Awesome!"

"Bravo!"

"That was great!"

"You did great, Junko!" Sakura called out to her.

Pauline approached Junko and said, "Wow! That was wonderful! You truly are talented!"

"Thank you very much! I'm glad you enjoyed it!" said Junko happily.

"Also, you have a unique makeup!" Pauline said to her. "I like it!"

"Thank you!" said Junko with a smile.

All of a sudden, the wooden wall of the stage behind them burst open, and out from behind it came a large and fierce-looking gorilla standing about seven meters tall. The giant ape roared out loud while thumping his chest. Needless to say, everyone was shocked to see his appearance.

"MAMAMIA! WHAT-A EEZ THAT?!" screamed Luigi as his hat flew into the air.

"A giant gorilla?!" gasped Mario.

Even the Kongs in the restaurant saw this and were shocked and confused at the appearance of that overgrown gorilla. "What in the world?!" said Donkey.

People backed away in fear at the presence of the gorilla, who looked around with a face filled with anger. Pauline and Junko were horrified as they slowly backed away from the gorilla, who was quite close to them. The gorilla then stared at the two of them, making them even more scared. Pauline suddenly had a case of PTSD, remembering when she was kidnapped by Cranky in his prime back in the days.

The gorilla reached his hand in her direction, causing her to close her eyes and scream, expecting her past trauma to happen again. Instead, she heard someone else screaming and didn't feel herself being grabbed. She opened her eyes and saw that the gorilla had instead wrapped his hand around Junko.

"YAAAAAAAAAAA! LET GO OF ME!" cried the horrified zombie while struggling like crazy. "SOMEBODY HELP ME!"

"JUNKO!" her companions gasped.

The gorilla let out another cry before jumping off the stage and running away, and all those in his way backed away in terror.

"WHAT DO WE DO?! WHAT DO WE DO?!" cried Sakura while holding her hands at the sides of her head.

"Afta that-a gorilla!" said Mario as he began to give chase.

"You don't have to say that!" said Saki in anger as she followed Mario. The rest of the zombies and Luigi also followed them, chasing down the gorilla as he caused a ruckus running across the place.

Pauline's legs were still wobbling as she sat down on the stage. "What... What was that all about...?!" she wondered.

* * *

TO BE CONTINUED

Well, that was random... Surely there is an explanation behind the appearance of "King Kong," right? Let's see if you can figure it out!

So anyway, two chapters right off the bat! I hope this is enough to keep you glued to this story and look forward to more!

I don't have anything in mind for what Junko sang, so feel free to imagine some kind of 70s and 80s song if you want to.


	3. How High Can You Get?

Forgot to mention this in the previous chapter... I took creative liberties regarding Mario and DK Junior's ages in order to make sense of the DK family's lineage. In this continuity, the baby DK in Yoshi's Island DS is actually Junior, thus he was a late teen or young adult when the events of the original DK took place, as I had Mario be a teen during the events of the aforementioned game as well.

It's true that gorillas age faster than humans, so using this logic, it makes sense for Junior to conceive the current DK a couple of years later and have the latter look like a teenager in present when Mario is now a full-grown adult.

I still hope you got what I mean...

And one last thing, the zombies are wearing their public performance clothing currently.

**Chapter 3  
How High Can You Get?  
**

* * *

The giant gorilla, with Junko in his grasp, rampaged through the streets of New Donk City, not caring about what was in his way. People screamed and ran from the approaching beast, and anything or anyone unfortunate enough to be in his way were either flattened or sent flying.

All the while, Mario, Luigi, and the zombies gave chase as fast as they could. "Get back here with Junko!" Saki angrily shouted at the gorilla. "You won't get away with this!"

"Where did that gorilla come from?! And how is it so big?!" asked Ai.

"I'm suddenly reminded of a movie back in our world involving a giant gorilla..." said Lily.

As they continued to chase the gorilla, Donkey Kong suddenly came running to them from the side and joined them in the chase. "Donkey!" Mario said to him.

"Mario! Let me help you with this! He's got your friend, right?" Donkey said to him.

Mario nodded and then asked, "Any idea on who that-a gorilla eez?"

"I'm just as confused as you are... Let's just catch him first and ask later!" suggested Donkey.

The gorilla kept on running until he came to a stop in front of a container truck. Turning around to look at the good guys, who had caught up with him, he said in a loud and monstrous voice, "Stop following me!"

"Not until you give back our friend!" Saki angrily shouted at him.

"Help me!" cried Junko, who was now in tears, as she pounded the gorilla's fist.

"Don't worry! We're definitely rescue you!" Sakura called out to her.

"Give that-a girl back at once!" Mario angrily said to the gorilla. "I don't-a know who you are, but-a you're not-a going to get-a away with theez!"

The gorilla glared at Mario and said, "Jumpman! Once again, you're trying to foil me! I will not let you beat me this time!"

When Mario heard the gorilla calling him that, he was surprised. "Cran... Cranky?! Is that you?!" he asked.

Donkey widened his eyes as well. "Grandpa?! Is that really you?!"

"I now have the power to defeat you, Jumpman! You shall meet your end today!" said the giant gorilla who was supposedly Cranky Kong. Turning to the truck, he lifted it over his head using only one hand, a feat that shocked everyone.

"Whoa! He's strong!" commented Saki.

"MAMAMIA! HE'S GOING TO THROW THAT-A AT US!" screamed Luigi.

The giant gorilla hurled the truck at them, albeit not a great distance. Even so, the sight of a large vehicle flying in their direction was more than enough to send them fleeing. The truck hit the pavement and sent pieces of itself flying all over the place while sliding forward a bit. The gorilla then fled, running towards the construction site of a tall building consisting of nothing but girders.

Using only one hand and also jumping around at great heights, Cranky made his way to the top of the incomplete building, with Junko still screaming her head off for her in his grasp, while people down below watched with wide open mouths. Mario and co. approached and looked up nervously.

"Theez eez bringing back memories..." commented Mario.

Cranky made his way to the top of the building in a short amount of time, and then raising his arms into the air, he let out a loud and triumphant roar.

Down below, people were in panic and talking about what was happening. News reporters and policemen had also arrived at the scene.

"What are we going to do?!" asked a worried and panicking Sakura.

"I'll go up there!" said Mario determinedly. "Don't-a worry, I'll definitely rescue your friend!"

"Count me in too!" said Donkey. "If that really is grandpa, then as his grandson, I'll have to knock some senses back into him! I still don't know how he became like that, but let's hope he can change back to normal afterwards."

"Let me help!" said Saki while pointing at herself.

"No, you stay here! Theez may be too much for you!" Mario told her.

"Hey, you better not underestimate me! Having someone you pretty much can't kill on your side will be of great help!" claimed Saki.

"Don't get too reckless, Saki!" Ai told her. "It doesn't matter if you can die or not! Look at the size of that gorilla! I don't think you can anything about him, unless you're, perhaps, Tae!" When she said that, everyone turned to look at Tae, who was looking at the gorilla up above and growling angrily.

"Well, then take Tae along with you!" Saki suggested to Mario while pointing at the mindless zombie. "If you think I won't be of help, then she should be of help!" Tae let out a cry that implied wanting to lend a hand.

"Well, eef eet eez Tae, then I think eet'z okay," said Mario.

Sakura turned to Tae and said to her, "You can go along with Mario and help rescue Junko if you want to, Tae, but please be careful!" The mindless zombie nodded.

"Are you sure it's okay to take her along?" Donkey asked Mario.

The latter nodded and said, "I've seen her in action before. She will definitely be all right-a and even be a great-a help!"

After it was decided, Mario, Donkey, and Tae ran into the construction site and began making their way to the top. "C'mon! Go get that monster!" Saki called out to them.

"You can do it, Mario!" called out Luigi.

As everyone was watching, Lily noticed that there was another construction site directly across the one Cranky climbed onto, and this one had a towering construction crane as tall as the building. Observing the crane and also the building the gorilla was on, an idea began to cook up in the young zombie's head.

* * *

The giant gorilla that was supposedly Cranky Kong, after reaching the top of the incomplete building, placed Junko at the corner of the place. There were no railings around the place, and realizing the massive drop around her if she fell off, the zombie screamed in terror as she bent down while trembling in fright. "You stay here!" Cranky said to her loudly.

"Please... Please don't eat me...!" begged Junko tearfully.

Cranky then looked down the girder he was standing on and saw three small figures running around and climbing up stairs to get to where he was. Not wanting anyone to get to the top, he reached his massive hand to a pick up an empty metal barrel and then hurled it downwards.

Looking up, Mario saw the metal barrel falling down. "Incoming!" he shouted. He got out of the way along with Donkey and Tae, and then they looked up again to see another barrel falling down, which they avoided once again.

"Grandpa! Stop it! It's me, Donkey! Your grandson!" Donkey shouted out loud, hoping to let Cranky hear him, but the giant gorilla either didn't hear him or ignored him, as he kept on throwing random stuff downwards, only to miss every time.

It was fortunate that there was lots of space to move around, so the trio had no problem avoiding the stuff being thrown down, even though the place more or less lacked ceiling, thus making it possible to throw down stuff from almost anywhere.

Looking around, Mario saw a large construction hammer lying on the floor, so he rushed over to pick it up. When he saw another barrel falling down, he sent it flying with a swing of the hammer. "Nice! I like-a eet!" he said, praising the hammer.

"C'mon! Let's get to the top fast!" Donkey said to Mario. The latter nodded, and, along with Tae, they ran up any staircase they could find to get to the top as fast as possible.

Frustrated at the heroes' progress, Cranky slammed his fist onto one of the girders hard. This caused the entire building to shake, so much that onlookers below could actually see it shaking. Mario, Donkey, and Tae were shaken to their knees, but they were in no danger of falling off, and the building didn't appear to be in danger of collapsing as well.

Junko screamed as she held onto the girder she was on tightly. Being close to the edge, she was almost thrown off by the shaking, but fortunately for her, she held on tightly. With eyes filled with tears of fright, she said, "Somebody... please... please help me...! I don't to die a second time...!"

"He's going to destroy da whole thing at-a theez rate!" said Mario. "We have to stop-a him fast!" He stood back up and continued making his way to the top alongside his two companions.

After much running and climbing, the trio was close to reaching the top. As they ran up the final staircase to get to the topmost part of the building, Cranky rolled down barrels at them, but Mario smashed them with his hammer. The trio then got to the top and saw the giant gorilla standing there, glaring at them. "How dare you come here?! I will make you regret for coming against me!" said the gorilla angrily.

"Snap out of it, grandpa, if it is really you!" Donkey pleaded him. "This isn't you! Let go of that girl at once and stop this madness! I don't want to hurt you!"

Ignoring Donkey, Cranky glared at Mario and said, "I will get my revenge on you, Jumpman! You shall pay for humiliating me all those years ago!"

"I don't-a want to do theez, Cranky, but you are forcing my hand!" Mario said to him as he readied his hammer.

**BGM: vs. Cactus King - Phase 2 (Donkey Kong: Jungle Beat)**

"You shall all die!" said Cranky as he picked up another barrel and hurled it at them. They jumped out of the way, and then Tae ran towards him on all fours before leaping high onto his shoulder and bit him hard. The gorilla cried in pain and pulled her off using his other hand to hurl her away, and fortunately for her, she landed on the building.

Donkey ran towards Cranky and aimed a powerful punch at his leg. Despite the size difference, the former was able to punch strong enough to make Cranky bend down on one knee and cry in pain. In rage, Cranky reached his hand at Donkey to grab him, but the latter jumped onto his hand and ran up it before punching him in the face. Cranky took some steps back from the hit, and then Mario ran up to him to hammer his foot, making the gorilla howl in pain.

"We can take advantage of his size," Mario told Donkey. "There are too many openings on da floor up here for him to have propa footing, so his movements are limited."

"I figured that out," said Donkey. "But how are we going to change him back to normal?"

"We can think-a about that-a afta we knock-a him out," Mario said to him. He then turned to Tae and told her to grab Junko and take her to safety first.

The mindless zombie nodded before running towards Junko, who was still cowering in the corner. However, Cranky responded by bringing his fist down onto the mindless zombie so hard that the floor beneath her broke, and she was sent crashing onto a lower floor. "TAE!" screamed Junko when she saw this.

"Oh no!" gasped Donkey in response. Mario was shocked and worried for Tae's safety as well.

"Nobody is taking my woman from me!" said Cranky as he turned to Donkey and Mario. He then jumped at them with the intention of stomping them. They got out of the way, and when he landed, he crashed through the floor and fell to a lower floor. This caused the entire structure to shake, but it maintained standing. Cranky roared angrily as he climbed back up partially and swung his hand around to hit Donkey and Mario, who jumped out of the way.

Picking up a nearby barrel, Donkey hurled it at Cranky's face. Mario then approached Cranky from the side and slammed the hammer against his ear hard, making him cry in pain. Below, Tae got back up after being struck from above by the gorilla's fist. The mindless zombie saw the gorilla's lower half before her, and growling angrily, she ran towards it and bit his toe hard. Cranky cried in pain and kicked his leg over and over, but the zombie latched onto the toe tightly using her teeth.

Above, Mario and Donkey continued to assault his face. Cranky soon became frustrated, and with a single leap, got himself back on top of the building again. "THAT DOES IT! YOU'RE ALL DEAD MEAT!" he shouted.

"Was grandpa this big when he was younger...?" Donkey asked Mario.

"Not-a even close..." replied the latter.

* * *

Unknown to all those on the construction site, the construction crane belonging to the construction site on the other side was currently being operated by Lily.

After telling Luigi and her companions about his plan, he sneaked onto the construction crane along with the green plumber and Yuugiri. The plan he told them was to use the crane to reach Junko and rescue her while Mario and co. were keeping Cranky busy.

Currently, Lily was in the cockpit of the crane located high up in the air, while Luigi and Yuugiri stood on a girder hanging to the crane. Luigi was down on his belly, grabbing onto the girder tightly with his hands, while Yuugiri stood fearlessly next to the thick rope holding up the girder.

"Are you really sure this is a good idea?!" Luigi called out to Lily. "You're going to get us all killed!"

"Relax! I know a lot about construction machines!" Lily told him. "My father even let me try them out before, so I know how they work!"

"Why don't we just let Mario rescue your friend?!" Luigi asked him.

"As much as I trust Mario, I still think it's better that we take precautions and take every opportunity we can get to rescue Sister Junko!" replied Lily.

"Please be honest and admit that you simply want to take control of this machinery, Lady Lily," Yuugiri said to him.

Lily's face turned red as he said with guilt, "Okay, you got me..."

"Normally, I would disapprove of thisreckless decision, but for the sake of our friend, I will let it pass this time," Yuugiri said to him in a strict tone, sounding like a mother lecturing a child.

Using the levers and buttons on the control panel, Lily moved the crane toward the construction site Junko was on and also moved the girder being carried towards the tip of the crane. The rope and the girder it was wrapped around swung quite a bit. Luigi trembled violently as he held on for dear life, but Yuugiri maintained a fearless and serious expression while holding onto the rope with both hands.

"Why did I agree to come along...?" Luigi asked himself. He reminded himself that he didn't see it a good idea to let two girls do this by themselves and that they would need a man to protect them. Now he was having second thoughts.

Junko was still trembling in fear while curled up when the crane and the girder got closed to her. The crane stopped moving, and when the girder stopped swinging around, Yuugiri carefully made her way to the front end of the girder and called out to Junko. "Lady Junko! Over here!"

Junko turned around and was surprised to see her. "Yuugiri!"

The girder was actually close enough to the building for one to hop from one to another with little effort. Yuugiri reached out her hand to Junko and told her to grab on. Junko stood up and moved towards Yuugiri, but when she looked down and saw how high up they were, she freaked out and crouched down again. "I'm scared!" she cried.

"Lady Junko, you have to overcome your fear if you want you to escape!" Yuugiri said to her while hopping off the girder and onto the building. She helped the white-haired zombie up. "Come, I will guide you. Do not be afraid."

Suddenly, Cranky turned to face them while in the middle of fighting Mario, Donkey, and Tae. "Where do you think you are taking my girl?!" he angrily asked.

Junko freaked out at the sight of the gorilla, so Yuugiri hurriedly dragged her onto the girder and told Lily to move them away fast. The gorilla angrily ran towards them, but acting quick, Lily moved the crane out of the way just in time to escape the gorilla's reach. The girder swung greatly as a result, so much that the three on top of it were in great danger of flying off.

Luigi screamed and held on tightly as tears poured down his eyes. Yuugiri and Junko were both bent down and holding onto the girder as tightly as possible. However, Yuugiri lost her grip and slipped off the girder. Acting fast, Junko reached out and grabbed onto her hand. "Yuugiri! Hold on tight!" she said to the courtesan.

"Oh no! I have to bring them in fast!" said Lily as he began moving the girder closer to the crane's main body. Seeing that the courtesan needed help, Luigi mustered his courage to get to her and help her get back up.

Cranky was not happy at all to see his woman getting taken away. Behind him, Mario taunted, "Looks like-a you lost your girl again!"

"Grandpa, snap out of it already! I don't know what became of you, but this isn't you!" Donkey said to him, and Tae let out a bark.

"Nobody takes my girl again!" said Cranky angrily. "I will take back what rightfully belongs to me!" He then performed an incredible leap off the building and towards the one on the other side, much to the surprise of Mario and Donkey.

Cranky grabbed onto the middle section of the building and made his way to the crane's body before climbing up it.

**BGM: The Great Tower Showdown 2 (Super Mario 3D World)**

Lily had just successfully brought back the girder, so Luigi, Yuugiri, and Junko were able to find a proper place to stand on. They were going to use to the crane's elevator to get to the bottom when they saw Cranky climbing up the crane's body and towards them. "Oh no!" gasped Lily.

"YAAAAAA! WE'RE DONE FOR!" screamed Luigi. Yuugiri and Junko were equally worried.

Down below, the onlookers were in great panic as they saw the gorilla climbing up the construction crane. "Darn it! Just when they look like they're out of danger!" said Saki angrily.

"What do we do?!" cried Sakura in panic.

Back on the other building, Mario, Donkey, and Tae could see what Cranky was doing, and they had to do something. He turned to Donkey and asked him, "Donkey, I need-a you to throw me over to your grandfather!"

"Throw you at him? What are you going to do?" Donkey asked him.

"Throw me at-a his head, and I will whack-a him with theez!" replied the plumber. "Think-a you can throw me far enough?"

Donkey looked at the distance between the buildings and said, "I think I can, but are you sure? I can't guarantee your safety... On second thought, I think you should drop this idea... I don't-a have confidence..."

"Just-a do eet! I will be fine one way or the otha!" Mario told him. "We don't-a have much time left!"

Back on the other building, Lily and Junko were clutching Yuugiri in fear, while Luigi frantically threw tools such as hammers and wrenches straight down to hit Cranky, but they bounced off the approaching gorilla harmlessly. "Stay away! Stay away!" shouted the plumber. The gorilla roared angrily in response and even shook the crane to make them lose their balance.

Meanwhile, Donkey held the hammer-wielding Mario over his head and took aim at his grandfather. "Ready?"

"Ready!" replied the plumber.

"Here goes nothing!" said Donkey before hurling Mario with all his might straight at Cranky.

As he shot through the air like a rocket, Mario held the hammer to the side. "Cranky! Eat-a theez!" he shouted as he closed in on the gorilla. Cranky turned his head just in time for the plumber to give him a powerful swing of the hammer to his face.

SMAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAASH!

**BGM Ends**

Even though the hammer was small compared to Cranky's currently massive head, Mario was still able to hit him with enough force to make him lose his grip on the crane. The gorilla cried in pain as he fell back and plummet towards the ground below. Mario, on the other hand, somehow landed within the building and was safe.

Everyone watched in shock as Cranky struck the ground with a powerful crash, crushing everything underneath it.

CRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAASH!

Everyone gathered in shock around the giant gorilla, who was still conscious but in great pain from the painful landing. He didn't fall from the highest part, so the injury wasn't as fatal as it should be.

Luigi, Yuugiri, Lily, and Junko looked down with wide open eyes, and they were also relieved that they were no longer in danger. "Phew... Thanks goodness for Mario..." said Luigi while wiping his forehead.

"We... We're saved..." said Junko while sighing with relief.

Down below, everyone continued to gathered around Cranky and talk about him. The remaining Franchouchou members got close to the gorilla, and Saki said, "Ha! Take that! Let's see you mess with our friends again!"

Suddenly, the gorilla's body glowed in various colors, much to everyone's surprise. Slowly, he shrunk in size, and when the light disappeared, there was Cranky, back to his elderly form, lying in the middle of the crater he created when he landed. The people were surprised and talked even more about this.

"It really is that elderly gorilla!" said Ai in disbelief.

"How... How did he become like that just now...?" wondered Sakura.

* * *

TO BE CONTINUED

In case you're wondering, the title chapter comes from the original arcade DK game. That phrase shows up in between each level.

Anyway, not much I can say about this chapter, so please share your thoughts!


	4. Showdown on the Streets

**Chapter 4  
Showdown on the Streets**

* * *

Mario, Donkey, Tae, Lily, Junko, Yuugiri, and Luigi had all gotten back to the bottom and gathered alongside everyone else around the fallen Cranky. Diddy, Dixie, and Funky were there as well. Running up to his fallen grandfather in concern, Donkey held him up by the head and back and said to him, "Grandpa! Are you all right? Please answer me!"

Cranky let out a groan and then said, "I've seen better days..."

Seeing that Cranky was seemingly all right, Donkey wept with joy. "Thanks goodness, grandpa! I'm so glad you're all right!"

Diddy, Dixie, and Funky were glad that the elderly gorilla was fine as well. "All right! Looks like we don't have to prepare a funeral anymore! There's no fun in that!" said Funky.

"What-a happened, Cranky?" Mario asked the elderly gorilla. "How did you become so big and strong?"

Sighing, Cranky replied, "Someone came to me, and promised me that I would be able to get my revenge on you... I agreed to him, and then he used magic to make me like that..."

"Who did you run into?" Donkey asked him. "Who used magic on you?"

"That would be me!" shouted a loud voice all of a sudden. Everyone heard the sound of engine approaching, and then a purple car without a hood covered in spikes suddenly sped down the street. The people got away to avoid getting hit when the car came to a stop. Mario and co. saw who was in the car and was surprised. Standing up from his seat, Bowser spread out his arms and said out loud, "Surprise!"

**BGM: Bowser's Highway Showdown (Super Mario 3D World)**

"Bowsa!" said Luigi in shock.

"He's still alive?!" said Ai, also in shock.

"And don't forget me!" said Kamek as he appeared from behind Bowser.

"MARIO! HELP ME!" Peach cried as she suddenly appeared from the back seat, helplessly bounded by a rope.

"PRINCESS!" Mario gasped in shock.

"Haha! Bet you guys are surprised to see me!" said Bowser. "Didn't think I would be hanging out in this place, did ya?"

"You villain! You haven't learned your lesson yet?!" Saki angrily said to him.

Looking at her and the other zombies, Bowser said, "Ah, so you zombies are still around! Good, because I would like to get back at you myself, or else I won't be satisfied!"

"You changed my grandfather into that monstrosity?! How dare you?!" Donkey angrily said to the villain.

"I was the one who approached him and used my magic to change him!" Kamek told the gorilla. "He was looking gloomy and all, so I decided to be a kind fellow and see if I can help him with something. After he told me about his frustration with an old enemy, I decided to grant him the power to get his revenge on said enemy! I hope he enjoyed things while it lasted!"

Diddy turned to Cranky and asked if what Kamek said was true, and the latter nodded.

"You'll pay for this!" Donkey angrily said to Kamek. "I had to attack my grandfather because of what you did, and now he's badly hurt!"

"Hey, at least he's still alive," Bowser said to him. "Anyway, looks like you've dealt with the problem yourself, though I can't say I'm happy, because I was hoping that Mario would get beaten up badly as a result."

"Let-a go of da princess at once!" Mario angrily said to the turtle.

"Not gonna happen!" taunted Bowser. "It's been nice meeting ya, but now that I have Peach with me, I'm getting out of here! Try and catch me if you can!" He sat back down and then sped off, leaving behind a large amount of smoke from the exhaust pipe when he did so.

The people coughed when the smoke got to them, and when it died down, Donkey angrily shouted at the villains, "Get back here at once! I'm not done with you yet!" Tae also "barked" angrily and loudly at them.

"What do we do?! The princess is kidnapped!" cried Sakura.

Saki looked to the side and noticed a red motorcycle there with its key inserted into it. An idea came to her, and then she pulled Mario over to the motorcycle. "What-a are you doing?!" the plumber asked her.

Sitting onto the motorcycle, Saki said out loud for the people to hear, "Whoever is the owner of the bike, I will be borrowing it for a while! I apologize beforehand if I bust it!" Mario asked her again what she was doing, and she told him to get on the bike, as they were going to chase Bowser.

Seeing that this was the best course of action currently, Mario sat down behind her, and then the zombie started the engine and gave chase down the street as fast as she could. Everyone else watched with surprise looks, and those two's comrades wished them luck.

* * *

**BGM: Bowser's Castle (Mario Kart 8)**

Bowser and Kamek were laughing evilly as they sped down the street, not caring about what was in their way. Their car was durable, and combined with the spikes all over it, they were able to knock away all the other vehicles in their way.

At the back seat, Peach continued to struggle against the ropes binding her, but she wasn't making any progress in freeing herself. All the while, she angrily shouted at Bowser. "You won't get away with this! Mario will defeat you like always and rescue me!" she said to him.

"Haha! Dream on, princess!" Kamek said as he turned around to face her. "There's no way Mario is going to win this time! We are confident in what we are doing!" He then noticed a particular motorcycle slowly catching up from behind, and upon closer inspection, he saw that it was Saki and Mario. Surprised, he told Bowser about this, and the latter looked back to confirm things.

"What the?! Those fools!" said Bowser angrily. "They're going to regret coming after me!" He then sped up.

Saki drove as fast she could to catch up with the villains. "Hang on! We're speeding up!" she told Mario. "Are you doing fine back there?"

"Maybe eef your ponytail eezn't constantly blowing my face!" replied Mario, who was trying to move his face out of the way of the zombie's ponytail, which was being blown against his face nonstop by the wind. It felt ticklish.

Saki was eventually catching up to Bowser. Seeing this, the turtle growled in frustration before pulling a metal ball out of nowhere. "Still on my tail? Eat this, then!" he said before hurling the metal ball at them.

Seeing the ball approaching, Saki drove to the side. The metal ball hit the pavement and exploded, much to her surprise. "Bombs?!" she said.

"Let me do it for you, your evilness!" said Kamek as he aimed his wand at the air and created another metal ball using magic, and he pointed his wand at them to throw the bomb.

Saki once again drove to the side to avoid getting hit, and she had to do this over and over, as Kamek was hurling bombs at them nonstop. "Darn it! I can't get close to him like this!" she said in frustration. Mario then moved his head close to her ear and whispered something to her. After hearing what he said to say, "Oh, you can do that? Sounds cool!"

"Take this!" shouted Kamek as he hurled another bomb at them.

Rather than driving out of the way, Saki spun around so that she was facing the other way, and then Mario leaped up from his seat and performed a spin while kicking the bomb hard. The bomb was kicked back to the car, hitting it from behind and exploding. The explosion caused the whole thing to fly into the air, surprising its riders.

The car fell back down, with its back somewhat damaged by the explosion, but it was still able to move. In fact, the explosion propelled it forward quite a bit. "How dare you, Mario?!" Bowser angrily said to the plumber.

By then, they driving on a bridge suspended over a large body of water.

"They're gaining up on us!" Kamek said in panic.

Sure enough, Saki zoomed up next to the car, and then Mario hopped into the latter and began undoing Peach's restraints. Kamek was going to use his wand against Mario, but the latter snatched it out of his hand and then smacked him in the head with it. Because it was a wand, something magical happened as a result: Kamek's head was set on fire. The Magikoopa screamed in terror while smacking his head with his hand over and over in an attempt to put out the fire, and Bowser was looking at him in shock.

Saki drove closer to the car to allow the freed Peach to get onto the seat behind her, and then Mario told the zombie to drive to safety first. When they were gone, Mario used the wand to create another bomb, this time letting it drop onto the back seat. He then dropped the wand before jumping off the car from the back, landing on his feet perfectly despite the speed the car was moving at.

Bowser looked back to see the bomb and was horrified, while Kamek was too busy dealing with his burning head. Before the former could do anything, the bomb exploded.

KABOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!

**BGM Ends**

Pieces of the car flew all over the place, while Bowser and Kamek were propelled into the air and sent flying off the bridge, falling into the water below with a large splash.

Mario, Saki, and Peach ran over to the side of the bridge to see them. Looking down, they saw Bowser and Kamek emerge from the water. "Curse you, Mario!" Bowser angrily shouted at the plumber while shaking his fist at him. "I'll get you for this! I will!"

"Try your worst! We'll be waiting!" Saki taunted him.

The two evil turtles then turned away to began swimming towards dry ground. The good guys watched for a few more seconds before deciding to ignore them. "Thank you very much!" Peach happily said to her rescuers.

"I only did what I had to do!" Mario told him.

"Good to know that you're all right!" Saki said to her. "Felt great kicking his butt again!"

* * *

After several minutes of swimming, Bowser and Kamek finally reached dry land. Panting heavily due to using lots of energy in swimming, Bowser said, "I hate that plumber! And also those zombies! I can't wait until I get my hands on those things and teach them a lesson they will never forget!"

"Let's only hope that the distraction that monkey caused was more than enough for the Koopalings to steal that from the museum," said Kamek.

Suddenly, a van stopped in front of them, and Ludwig and Iggy stepped out of it. "Lord Bowser! What a surprise to see you here!" said the former.

"Yeah, we were on the way to meet you at the designated location, and then you're here for some reason!" said Iggy.

"Blame that stupid Mario and his zombie friends!" said Bowser angrily. "If it weren't for them, I would've gotten away with Peach as well!"

"Did you two get that thing?" Kamek asked the Koopalings.

The Koopalings nodded. "We did!" replied Ludwig. "It was way too easy! Come and see it!"

The two then led Bowser and Kamek to the van and showed them a pair of silver boots made of metal placed on one of the back seats. Picking up the silver boots, Bowser said, "So this is one of the full set, eh? How am I going to put this on anyway?"

"The scroll says that it is free size, regardless of how big you are," replied Iggy. "I can only guess that it's magical in nature. Why don't you try putting it on?"

Bowser placed the boots on the ground and tried putting his feet into them. The boots magically increased in size when his feet came close to their openings. Because of this, he was able to fit his feet into them perfectly. He then tried moving around to see how it felt, and Ludwig asked him if it felt good. "Feels great!" replied Bowser. "I can wear this all day!"

"You won't be able to use its full power until you get every single part, though," Iggy reminded him.

"Then what are we waiting for? Let's find the full set as soon as possible! Just you wait, Mario! This time, I will be the one to defeat you! Heheheh!" said Bowser with glee.

* * *

Cranky was rushed to the hospital after the incident was over. Fortunately for him, he was in no danger, which was actually a miracle, considering that he fell from such a height. The doctor said he only had to rest in hospital for a day and then he could leave the next day. It was theorized that the magic that changed him into the gigantic form played a role in keeping his body in a good condition.

Standing outside Cranky's ward room, Donkey said to Mario and his friends. "Thank you so much for saving my grandfather and also teaching Bowser a lesson!" Donkey said to them. "I really appreciate it!"

"You also helped as well!" Mario reminded him.

"But you were the one to give that old man the final blow. You were really awesome back there!" Diddy said to him.

Meanwhile, Funky said to Lily, "You're a brave kid! Nice skills with the crane back there!"

"Thank you!" said Lily, sounding proud.

"So what are you going to do afta Cranky recovers?" Luigi asked the Kongs.

"I think we'll go back to DK Island after that," replied Donkey. "After the trouble he's caused here, I don't think we have the face to stay here anymore, even if Bowser was the one behind it..."

"Yeah, we should be leaving as soon as possible..." said Dixie.

"It's unfortunate that we couldn't have more fun together," said Peach. "Either way, I will help cover the medical fee for you, so you do not have to worry about not having enough money."

"Really? You're going to pay for us? You really shouldn't..." Donkey said to her.

"Don't worry; Bowser was the one who put you through this, and since he is supposed to be our problem, I sort of feel responsible," Peach told him with a smile. "I will take care of the fee so that you do not have to pay anything."

"Thank you very much! How can we ever repay you?" Donkey said to her.

"By da way, I wonda eef I can speak to Cranky," said Mario. "Afta what-a happened, I feel like I have to speak-a to him..."

"I'll see if he wants to," said Donkey before entering the ward room. A few seconds later, he came back out and told Mario to come in. Mario nodded before going inside.

Inside, Mario saw the elderly gorilla lying on the bed with a grumpy look. "How are you feeling, Cranky?" Mario asked him.

"Could be better," replied Cranky.

"I hope I didn't hurt-a you too much..." Mario said to him as he removed his hat while approaching him.

"I don't blame you," replied Cranky. "In fact, I think I should be thanking you for what happened. Perhaps I went too far this time around, selling my soul to the devil for power, and then I created all this mess, getting your female friend into trouble... None of this would have happened if our past didn't happen, though."

"I'm sorry for how I treated you all those years ago, but you were da one who start-a eet in da first place," Mario said to him.

"Forget it... Let the past remain in the past... I don't want to talk about that anymore," Cranky said to him. "If you have nothing else to say, then get out. Let's just pretend this never happened."

Mario put his hat back on and then went outside. Luigi then asked him, "What-a did you say to him?"

"Apologized to him for hurting him," replied Mario. "He also feels sorry for what-a he did. Eitha way, he decided to let go of our past antagonism and no longa pursue eet any longa."

"That's great!" said Sakura happily.

"To think that a rivalry all those years ago would result in what happened today..." said Ai.

"At least everything is resolved now," said Yuugiri. "Nobody got hurt badly, and that's all that matters!"

Donkey turned to Junko and said to her, "I'm sorry for what my grandfather did to you. I hope you'll forgive him for that..."

"It's all right... I'm safe and sound, so I'm not angry," replied Junko. "It wasn't his fault either, and I hope that he recovers soon."

"Thank you for forgiving him," Donkey said to her. "We're totally not worthy of such a thing..."

Mario and co. said good-bye to the Kongs and then left the hospital. Their tour bus was outside the hospital, waiting for them. After they all boarded it, it took off for the hotel.

At the lower floor, the zombies talked about what happened. "Man, what a day... First day of our trip and something crazy like this happened!" said Saki.

Sakura turned to Junko asked her, "Are you sure you're all right?"

"I admit that I'm still a bit traumatized, but at least I didn't die a second time, if that's even possible..." replied Junko. "I think I'd rather not talk about it..."

"Let's just drop this topic, okay?" said Ai. "Junko is definitely traumatized by that experience, so let's not make her think of it again."

"Right! Lily thinks we should try to cheer her up!" suggested Lily.

"Okay," said Sakura with a nod. "So... let's talk about our experience in that department store today!"

* * *

The next day around afternoon, Mario received word that Cranky had left the hospital and that the Kongs were going to return to DK Island using their private plane. Wanting to see the Kongs off, Mario and co. headed over to an area near the airport, where the private plane was parked, to see them.

It resembled an old school Douglas DC-3.

Cranky was already inside the plane, while the others were taking the luggage into it. One of the luggage is a large crate. Tae approached the crate and sniffed it. Seeing this, Donkey went over to the crate and opened it to show her that there were an assortment of fruits inside. "You want one? Here, have this!" said the gorilla as he took out an apple and handed it to her. While Tae ate the apple, he went over to Mario.

"So you're leaving now?" Mario asked him.

"Yeah, I think we best leave now," said Donkey. "Like I said, after what grandpa did, I don't think we have the face to stay here anymore..."

"I'm sorry such a thing had to happen to you..." Sakura said to them. "I wish we could've met under better circumstance."

"It was still nice knowing you girls, though," Donkey said to them.

Observing the plane, Luigi asked Funky, "You built this yourself, or...?"

The latter nodded. "Yep! You've got to be able to get from place to place somehow, and DK Island got no airport, so the only thing to do is build your own!"

"Pretty impressive for something homemade!" commented Lily as he looked at the plane.

"It flies perfectly! You'll love it if you go aboard it!" Funky told him.

Meanwhile, Dixie was talking with the zombies. "Pity that I couldn't get to see you all perform together, but I'm sure there's always next time!" she said.

"There will definitely be a next time! I'm sure!" Sakura assured her.

"Yeah! You're going to love it, I bet ya!" Saki told her.

"I look forward to it, whenever that is!" said Dixie. "Gotta go now. Come visit DK Island if you want to!"

While they were talking about this, Donkey had been loading the remaining luggage into the plane. When he was done, he poked his head out of the hatch and called out to Funky, "I've loaded everything onto the plane now!"

"Well, that's our cue to leave," Funky said to the others. "It was nice knowing you guys! Drop by DK Island if you feel like it!"

"Take-a care!" Mario said to him.

The Kongs got onto the plane, and after saying good-bye to Mario and co. one last time, Funky started the plane engine, and the plane took off.

"There they go," said Peach. "Let's wish them a safe trip home!"

"Well, let us continue with our trip," suggested Toadsworth. "There's a lot to do today before we set off for Isle Delfinio."

"Where are we going to going to go next?" asked Ai, who sounded enthusiastic.

"We're going to an indoor entertainment center next," replied Toadsworth. "They have lots of fun stuff there! Games, rides, and several other kinds of entertainment! I'm sure young folks like you will like it!"

"Sounds great! Let's go!" said Saki.

As they were heading back to the bus, Sakura suddenly asked while looking around, "Have any of you seen Tae?"

Everyone looked around and noticed that the mindless zombie was nowhere in sight. "She doesn't seem to be here..." said Ai.

"Did she return to the bus first?" wondered Junko.

"I doubt Lady Tae would run off on her own," said Yuugiri.

"But she's nowhere in sight at all!" said Sakura, sounding worried. She then called out the mindless zombie's name, but there was no response at all, which only made her more worried.

"I have a bad feeling about-a theez..." said a worried Luigi.

"Don't-a worry; I'm sure she'll show up soona or later," said Mario. "Let's-a go and ask da people around-a here and see if they can find-a her."

* * *

DK Island wasn't far from Metro Kingdom. In fact, it takes only about two hours to travel between both places using a plane.

The Kong's plane landed on the island's custom made runway. "Aaaaand we're home!" said Funky loudly while throwing his arms into the air. "Thank you all for riding Funky's Flight Airline! I wish you all a safe walk home!"

The Kongs got up and began carrying their luggage off the plane. Donkey picked up one of the crates on his back, and as he was stepping out of the plane, he felt as if the crate was moving. Diddy noticed him stopping and asked, "What's wrong?"

"I think there's something in this crate..." replied the gorilla. "In fact, throughout the plane ride, I think I kept on noticing this crate moving slightly, and I could've sworn I heard noise coming from inside it..."

"There should be only fruits in there," Diddy told him. "Unless a stray cat or dog got in there without our knowledge..."

"Let's open it up and see, then," suggested Donkey as he placed the crate onto the ground, and then he opened it to take a look inside.

* * *

For two hours, Franchouchou and the others looked for Tae. Everywhere they looked, they couldn't find the mindless zombie at all. They asked people and even showed pictures of her, but nobody saw her.

After much searching and finding nothing, they decided to stop for a while. Gathered in front of the bus, Sakura said with a worried look, "Where could Tae have been?"

"I can't believe she would disappear just like this as well..." said Ai.

"Let's hope she's all right..." said Junko, concerned.

"It's not like her to run off by herself," said Yuugiri.

Mario said to them, "I'm sure wherever she eez, she must be feeling bad for getting lost-a. Let's-a keep on looking for her. I'm sure we'll find-a her eventually!" Suddenly, his smartphone rang, and he checked to see that it was from Donkey, much to his surprise. He answered it. "It's-a me, Mario."

"Mario!" said Donkey's voice on the other end. "Are your zombie friends still there?"

Mario looked at the zombies and replied, "Yes, they are still here. What's-a wrong?"

"Do they have a friend missing?" asked the gorilla.

"Yes, they are missing a friend," Mario told him. What he said grabbed the zombies' attentions. 'What's wrong? And how do you know?"

Back on DK Island, Donkey was still talking on his phone when he looked at the crate he opened earlier. Funky, Dixie, Cranky, and Diddy were all looking at what was inside the crate in surprise. "Well, um... Tell them that we... found their friend..." replied Donkey. "She... came back with us..."

Inside the crate was Tae, having eaten up most of the fruits the Kongs brought back inside. Standing up from within the crate, the mindless zombie looked around, almost as if confused that her surrounding had changed and also the fact that her companions were nowhere in sight.

* * *

TO BE CONTINUED

Turns out Bowser is behind this all along! Or rather, Kamek, but since he's with Bowser, it's considered the latter's plan. Either way, it's clear that Bowser has even bigger plans, and it involves a pair of metal boots? I wonder what it's going to be about. Hmmm...

So yeah, Tae went on her own trip without her friends. Let's hope they can reunite soon!


	5. Zombies on a Plane

**Chapter 5  
Zombies on a Plane**

* * *

After learning from Donkey that Tae had stowed away onto the Kongs' plane and was currently on DK Island with them, Sakura took Mario's phone to talk to the gorilla in order to explain to him how to take care of Tae. "Don't worry; she won't attack you as long as you treat her nicely," she told him. "Please take good of care until we go there to get her back, okay? I apologize beforehand for any trouble she might cause... And don't worry; her bites aren't infectious. In fact, none of us can turn other people into zombies, so you don't have to worry about that."

The others were talking about what to do. "I have an idea," said Toadsworth. "We can convince the airport to fly a smaller plane carrying you girls to that island and get her back."

"That sounds like a good-a idea to me," said Mario with a nod.

"They'll let us?" asked Ai.

"This is the princess we're talking about. She'll definitely get them to cooperate!" Toadsworth told her.

"I believe this is the best idea as well," said Peach. "It would not be wise to let the Kongs fly her back here now that they've gone back to their island. It's too much trouble for them, so we should be going there ourselves."

"And because DK Island shouldn't have a big enough space for the princess's plane to land, we should get a smaller plane instead," said Toadsworth.

"Would you please go and arrange a plane for Franchouchou right away?" Peach said to the elderly Toad.

"Right away, princess!" said Toadsworth. "Let us head off to the airport as soon as possible and explain the situation to them."

"I'm sorry that Tae caused you this trouble..." Junko said to Peach, sounding guilty.

"We should've kept a close eye on her... It's all my fault..." said Sakura.

"Don't worry; nobody is blaming you," Peach said to them with a smile. "All that matters now is to get her back. At least we know she is in good hands currently!"

* * *

Outside Donkey's cabin, Diddy, Dixie, and Kiddy Kong were standing in front of Tae, who was crouched down in a manner similar to a dog sitting down, looking at the Kongs before her curiously. "So... what do we do about her in the meantime?" asked Dixie.

"Donkey learned from speaking over the phone earlier that she'll be attentive so long as we treat her nicely," replied Diddy. "Her friends also compared her behavior to a dog."

"A dog...?" said Dixie.

Kiddy approached Tae, and the two stared at each other for several seconds. The former then raised his hand, and the latter looked at it for a few seconds before bringing up her hand to touch his. Kiddy giggled and then petted the zombie on the head, and the latter seemed to enjoy it, as she smiled a bit. Seeing this, Dixie said, "Okay, I get what you mean..."

"How about this?" said Diddy as he picked up a stick. "Catch!" He threw the stick in a random direction. Seeing this, Tae ran after the stick and caught it in her hand before it touched the ground, and then she returned it to Diddy. "Good girl! Let's do it again!" He threw the stick even farther.

Tae rushed in that direction at a surprisingly fast speed, and she was able to catch it before it touched the ground again and then returned it to Diddy, who praised her while petting her head. Kiddy also clapped his hands.

"Wow! You're good!" Diddy said to her. "Good girl!"

"Uh... Don't you find it weird treating a person as if she's a dog...?" Dixie asked him.

"Yeah, I do agree... But so long as she's attentive and has no qualms, I guess it's fine?" said Diddy. "All right, let's see what more you can do, Tae. Follow me!" He then ran off, and the zombie and Kiddy followed him. Dixie sighed before following them.

Diddy rushed through the jungle at a fast speed, with the others following him closely, until he came to some tall trees. He then climbed up one of the trees until he got to one of the highest branches. When he looked down, he was surprised see Tae climbing up the tree at a fast speed and then getting onto the same branch as him.

"Wow! You're good at climbing too! I was worried you wouldn't be able to follow me up here," said a surprised Diddy. "All right, we're going to go swinging around on vines. Think you can do it?" He then grabbed a vine hanging around nearby and used it to swing through the air, landing onto the branch of another tree. "Tadah! Think you can do it?"

Tae looked at a nearby branch and grabbed it. Memories of what she did at the gatalympics started coming back to her, and thinking that it was the same thing, she let out a cry before swinging through the air using the vine. She swung at a fast speed and let go at the end, but she ended up flying past the branch Diddy was on.

She crashed into another tree and then fell to the ground, and her limbs and head falling off completely, much to Diddy's horror. The three Kongs ran up to the dismembered Tae with looks of shock. "Oh no! She broke into pieces!" gasped Dixie.

"Is... Is she dead...?!" wondered a horrified Diddy. When Tae still made sounds and even looked at them, he was surprised but also relieved. "Oh, you're still alive, I think..."

"How are we going to put her back together?" asked Dixie.

"Um... Just stick her limbs back to the body, I guess...?" suggested Diddy. The Kongs then picked up her body parts and stuck them back to the body, trying to attach them as tightly as possible. When they were done, Tae stood back up and moved her arms around while making sounds. They didn't fall off. "Looks like we did it!"

"That was shocking, but good thing she's still alive, or her friends will never let us hear the end of it..." said Dixie in relief. "Amazing that she can survive this, though..."

"Somehow I have the feeling that this happens often," said Diddy, and then he asked Tae if that was the case, though the latter simply stared at him and gave no response. "Eh, never mind... So long as you're all right..."

"I'm just reminded..." said Dixie. "She's supposed to be an idol like her friends, but she doesn't seem to be able to talk... How does she sing that way?"

Diddy shrugged. "Dunno... Maybe she can dance very well?"

Dixie wondered about it and then said, "How about we test it out?"

"What do you mean?" asked Diddy.

* * *

Donkey was taking a stroll through the jungle when he came to a clearing with a building there. It was Funky's garage where he parked some of his rides, including a plane with a body made out of a barrel. He noticed Diddy, Dixie, Kiddy, and Tae there. Diddy was carrying a boom box.

"Hey guys! Whatcha up to?" asked a curious Donkey as he approached them.

"Donkey! We're going to see if Tae here is a good dancer or not, since she's supposed to be an idol," Diddy told him.

"Oh cool! I'd like some good dance moves!" said Donkey. "Mind if I join? A bit of exercise would be nice!"

"If you can keep up, that is!" said Diddy as he placed the boom box onto the ground and then started playing it.

When Donkey heard the music, he said, "Oh, this one! I know this!" He started to move his body in a rhythmic manner when he heard it.

Diddy also began dancing, and then he said to Tae, "Follow our moves! Think you can do it?"

The song began playing, and Donkey and Diddy began dancing and also singing together.

**Anyone Can Dance (Donkey Kong's version)**

_Look at me, I can dance so gracefully  
Gotta have some rhythm just to make the scene  
Just feel the beat, hear it in your head  
Movin' to your middle, ending at your feet_

_Anyone can do it  
Anyone can dance  
My moves'll hypnotize you  
Put you in a trance_

Dixie and Kiddy watched joyfully at the two Kongs pulling off stylish dance moves, all the while enjoying their singing. Dixie then looked at Tae and, to her surprise, saw that the zombie was mimicking the Kongs' dance moves almost perfectly. "Wow! Look at her go!" she said. The two dancing Kongs also noticed this, and they smiled at her as they continued to dance and sing.

_Can't you see, coordination is the key  
It's my balance that takes hold of me  
Take your arms, wave them in the air  
Keep yourself from fallin' and you'll glide without a care_

_Anyone can do it  
Anyone can dance  
My moves'll hypnotize you  
Put you in a trance_

_You're gonna need style and personality  
To give you individuality  
Don't be afraid to move the way you wanna move  
Trust yourself and you will find your groove_

_Anyone can do it  
Anyone can dance  
My moves'll hypnotize you  
Put you in a trance  
Anyone can do it  
Anyone can dance  
My moves'll hypnotize you  
Put you in a trance_

The music ended, and the three also finished dancing, striking poses when they did so. Dixie and Kiddy clapped their hands and cheered happily. "Wow! That was great" said the former.

Donkey and Diddy went up to Tae, and the former said to her, "Wow! You're a great dancer!"

"Great moves! I can see why you're considered an idol now!" Diddy said to her. Tae nodded in response while making some sounds. "I think you deserve a prize for such a performance!" He then took out a banana. "Here, catch!" He threw it high into the air, and Tae turned to run after it.

The banana fell into the aforementioned plane with the body of a barrel, right into the cockpit. The zombie jumped into the plane to pick up the banana. She began eating the banana without bothering to peel it first, and then the Kongs noticed that the plane was beginning to move by itself.

Before they knew it, the plane took off into the air with the zombie still inside it. The Kongs had looks of shock on their faces as Funky ran into the scene, also looking at the plane in shock. "Zombie stole my plane!" he cried out loud.

They watched as the plane flew high into the sky and made a turn to seemingly fly to another part of the island. They had their mouths wide open the entire time. When the plane could no longer be seen, Diddy said, "Oops..."

* * *

Meanwhile, an airplane similar to the one the Kongs used for flying back to DK Island was on its way to said island. Peach had gotten the airport to cooperate and get the zombies a ticket to DK Island.

All six zombies were inside the small but well-made plane, and Mario and Luigi were accompanying them.

There was then an announcement. "We will be arriving at DK Island very soon. Please continue to put on your seat belts."

"All right! We're almost there!" said Saki.

"Please, Tae... Please be all right..." Sakura said silently in concern.

* * *

TO BE CONTINUED

I know, this is a short chapter. I felt the hilarity of this situation is a good place to end the chapter. The next chapter will definitely be longer, so please look forward to it!

There will be an explanation as to why the barrel plane took off so easily as well.

And the song Donkey and Diddy were singing comes from the infamous Donkey Kong Country cartoon. With its large amount of dancing and singing, that show might as well be categorized under the idol genre. The show even has a Japanese dub where all the songs are dubbed into Japanese! Yep, it really is an idol show!

By the way, did you get the title reference?


	6. Frantic Search

**Chapter 6  
Frantic Search  
**

* * *

"Have you found her yet?" said Donkey in panic as he gathered together with his Kong family members in front of Funky's garage. Present were Diddy, Dixie, Kiddy, Tiny, Chunky, and Lanky. Not only were the Kongs present, some of their animal buddies were present as well. Rambi, Expresso, Winky, and Ellie, to be precise.

They all shook their heads in response.

Donkey scratched his head and said nervously, "This is bad... We don't know where that zombie went, and her friends are going to come anytime soon..."

"For all we know, she could be off this island already..." said Dixie nervously.

"How do you think their friends are going to react if they find out about this?" asked Tiny.

"Let's hope they don't start a zombie outbreak in response..." said Dixie.

"They already said they aren't infectious, and they seem to be genuinely nice people, so I doubt they'll do that," said DK.

Just then, Funky came out of the garage and said to them, "Clear the runway! A plane is going to land soon!"

"They're here?!" asked Dixie in shock, and he nodded in response.

"What do we do?! We haven't found Tae yet!" said a worried Diddy.

"I'm sure she's still on the island," said Funky. "Last time I checked, that plane is low on fuel, and judging by the direction she flew in, she's definitely still on this island. We have no choice but to tell her pals the truth and hope that they will forgive us..."

"I'm sorry I threw that banana into the plane..." said Diddy with a voice of guilt.

"How did that plane take off so easily anyway?" asked Dixie.

"That was the first plane I've ever built, and I intentionally gave it simple controls so that beginners can fly it easily," replied Funky. "All ya have to do is press a button and it'll take off. That zombie must've pressed it by accident when she jumped in there."

"Sounds like you are at fault to for making the controls like that..." Tiny said to her.

A few minutes later, they spotted a plane approaching from the sky. Realizing that the zombies were arriving, they hurriedly got away from the runway for it to land. The plane made a safe landing, and then the hatch opened. Mario, Luigi, and Franchouchou all came out.

"We're here!" said Mario, looking around. "DK Island!"

"So this is where that gorilla lives?" asked Ai.

The group saw the Kong family standing there with their animal buddies, so both sides approached each other. "Glad of you to be able to come here, Mario!" Donkey said to him.

"I hope your grandfather won't-a mind me coming here," Mario said to him.

"I think he was expecting you, so it should be fine," Donkey said to him.

Sakura approached Donkey and said to him, "Sorry for the trouble Tae might have brought to you... I hope she's fine. Did she cause any trouble while here?"

"She's a very attentive person!" Donkey said to her. "She's also a great dancer! We played music and danced together!"

"Of course! She's a legendary idol like all of us!" said Saki proudly.

"So... where is she now?" asked Sakura.

The Kongs and the animal buddies sweated nervously when they heard this, which made the others curious. "Well... About that..." said Donkey. He then let out a sigh before explaining what happened to them.

Needless to say, the zombies were shocked. "Tae took off in a plane and went to places unknown?!" asked Ai.

"Sorry about that..." apologized Diddy. "I threw her a banana, and it landed in Funky's plane, so she jumped into it to get the banana and accidentally made the plane take off..."

"We've searched for her for a while already but still haven't found her..." Dixie told the zombies.

"Don't worry; she's definitely still on this island!" Funky assured the zombies.

"How are you so sure?" Junko asked him.

"It's low on fuel, so it shouldn't fly far before it crashes," Funky told her. Hearing that made the zombie cringe in fear a bit. She was still trying to get over the flight she took just now. "Just hope she survived the landing..."

"Tae's really tough, so she'll be fine," said Saki.

"But we still have to look for Tae!" said Sakura.

"I know, but we don't know where she is... She could be anywhere on this island, and this island isn't small," Donkey told her.

Just then, a green parrot descended from the sky. Seeing the parrot, Diddy said to him, "Oh hey, Squawks! You're back! How did your search go?"

"Factory! Factory!" replied the parrot. "I see Funky's plane in front of factory!"

"Factory?" said Ai curiously.

"That would be Kremkroc Industries!" said Funky. "This place has no other factory than that one!"

"Kremkroc Industries?" asked Luigi.

"It's a factory built by the Kremlings when they came to this island for the first time to terrorize us," explained Donkey. "They used it to build weapons, but Diddy and I manage to beat them up and shut down that place. It's been abandoned ever since."

"Actually, the Kremlings made use of it again when they brought along that giant floating castle with a cannon that one time," Diddy reminded him. "And do I have to remind you that the Tiki Tak Tribe also used it as one of their bases of operations?"

"I'm going to assume that all the names you mentioned are your enemies..." said Ai, and the Kongs nodded.

"Well, now that we know where Tae is, let's go to that place!" suggested Saki. "I'm going!"

"I'm going to! I know Tae the best, and I'm sure she wants to see me the most!" said Sakura, raising her hand.

"I'll tag-a along too!" said Mario as she stepped forward.

"Okay, then let's go together," said Donkey with a nod.

"Don't forget about me! You never go on adventures without me!" Diddy told the gorilla.

After it was decided, Donkey, Diddy, Mario, Sakura, and Saki ran off in a certain direction. Rambi the rhino also decided to tag along. Dixie turned to Luigi and the zombies and said to them, "So... want to wait indoor in the meantime?"

"Great idea!" said Lily.

"By the way, how did the plane take off so easily when Tae jumped into it?" Ai asked the Kongs.

* * *

After several minutes of walking, perhaps close to thirty minutes, Donkey and his group finally stepped out of the jungle and found themselves looking at a large, run-down industrial building. "Here we are," said the gorilla.

"Tae is here...?" asked Sakura.

They went up to the factory and noticed a wrecked plane lying on the ground just outside the entrance. "This is Funky's plane all right," pointed out Diddy. "And if I have to guess, your friend must've went inside the factory."

"She really shouldn't be running off by herself..." said Sakura with disapproval.

"Do you really expect her to stay still until we come? Anyway, let's go in there and find her as soon as possible," said Saki.

"Let's-a hope eet'z not-a too hard to find her," said Mario.

The group went into the factory and was greeted with nothing but darkness.

"It's so dark... and creepy..." commented Sakura in fear as she huddled close to Saki.

"We're zombies, so we aren't supposed to be scared of something like this. Pull yourself together..." Saki said to her.

"There should be a switch somewhere around here..." said Donkey as he went up to a wall and felt his hand around it. He eventually touched what appeared to be a lever, so he pulled it down, causing lights to shine down from above all of a sudden. The sound of machines running also started.

**BGM: Frantic Factory (Donkey Kong 64)**

With light in the place, they were able to see clearly what the place looks like. It was a spacious room with a large amount of crates, oil drums, pieces of metal, and unidentifiable machines of various sizes lying all over the place. There were puddles of water and oil on the floor too.

"Whoa... Quite a place we have here!" commented Saki, looking surprised.

"Never really a fan of this place..." said Diddy. "Brings back bad memories..."

"All right, let's begin searching for your friend," said Donkey.

"Where could-a she be?" wondered Mario.

Sakura placed her hands around her mouth and called out loud, "Tae! Where are you? Come out if you hear me! It's me, Sakura! Time to come home!"

The traveled deeper into the factory while calling out the mindless zombie's name. As they traveled through the place, they discovered more and more things that grabbed their attentions. There were what appeared to be remains of robots resembling bees, crocodiles, and even chickens lying on the floor.

Picking up the head of a robot crocodile, Saki asked, "What's this? A robot factory or something?"

"You can say that," replied Diddy. "The Kremlings were building all sorts of stuff in this factory, even trying to make an army of robots."

"Good thing we gave them a good smashing before that ever happened!" said Donkey.

For several minutes, they looked in various parts of the factory for signs of the mindless zombie. Mario went into a room full of crates and knocked some of the crates to see if Tae was inside any of them. He also opened them to take a look himself, but the crates were either empty or contained machine pieces, all of which were old and rusty. One crate he opened even contained several mice, which rushed out of a hole created at the bottom when they saw him.

Donkey made his way to the top of a giant bowl and looked down it, but Tae wasn't in there as well. As he looked at the bowl, he was suddenly reminded of the time when the Tiki Tak Tribe used something like this to create banana mush. Thinking of this made him angry, and then he turned to leave.

Saki went into a certain room and noticed an arcade machine in there. Curious, she went up to the machine and pressed some of its buttons to see if it still works. The screen turned on, and a game about a guy trying to make his way to the top of a construction site to rescue a woman from a large gorilla appeared. The zombie figured that she might give this game a try before continuing to look for her friend.

Sakura walked around a room with moving conveyor belts and saw mechanical arms moving around above them. She assumed that they were supposed to be constructing objects placed onto the converyor belts, which had nothing at the moment, so the mechanical arms were currently performing work on empty air. She began to worry if Tae somehow got caught in these mechanical arms after they've activated the factory and had her body mutilated as a result. "Please be all right, Tae..." she said in a worried tone.

They all eventually regrouped in a particular room, though Diddy and Rambi weren't present. "Did you find her?" asked Sakura, but they all shook their heads.

"No sign of her at-a all..." said Mario.

Noticing that Sakura was getting increasingly worried, Donkey said to her, "Don't worry; this factory is very big, so there are still places she could be hiding at. Plus, we haven't heard from Did..."

"Hey guys! I think I might have found her!" shouted Diddy's voice all of a sudden. The spider monkey showed up from a corner afterwards and waved at them. "Come quick!" So the others rushed over to him.

They followed Diddy to another room and saw Rambi looking at a large steel door that was partially open, just enough for someone to slip through. "I heard noises coming from in there, so I figured that I should call you over first," Diddy said to them.

Sakura went up to the door and looked inside to find that it was almost pitch dark. She called out loud, "Tae! Are you in there?" She heard zombie noises coming from inside, so she smiled as she went into the room and looked around. "Tae! Where are you?" Suddenly, a figure rushed up to her and pounced onto her, pushing her to the floor. Sakura had a shocked look at first, but then smiled when she realized that it was Tae. "Tae!"

Sakura got the mindless zombie off her body and stood up, and the latter got up and hugged her while nibbling her neck. "I'm so glad to see you, Tae!" Sakura happily said to her.

Donkey turned on the lights to this room, and then they all went up to those two. Donkey said, "All right! We found her!"

Saki went up to Tae and patted her head. "Man! You had us worried!"

Sakura then pushed Tae away a bit and said to her with an angry expression, "You shouldn't run from us again like this, Tae! You made us worried! Bad zombie!" Tae simply stared at her and made no sounds at all.

"No need to be angry now," Mario said to Sakura. "I'm sure she's learned her lesson!"

"What is this anyway?" asked Diddy as he looked at something else that was in the room.

They all turned to look at what he was looking at and noticed that it was some kind of a robotic crocodile dressed like a jester. The body was lying on the floor in a poor condition, as evident of cracks on its surface and its right eye, which was red, coming out of its socket. The lower half of its body was a rust-covered spring that led into a large box, which had cracks on it.

**BGM Ends**

* * *

While the search for Tae was going on, the others were hanging out in a wooden cabin that was described as a gathering place for the Kongs and their friends and guests to this island.

Inside, everyone was sitting on either the floor or sofas while eating snacks and chatting with each other. There was even an old-school CRT TV in the room.

"And then the Queen Banana Bird dropped a giant egg shell on top of K. Rool to trap him!" said Dixie, concluding her story about her time at a place called the Northern Kremisphere. "You should've seen the look on his face when he realized that he was trapped! It's hilarious!"

"I'm sure it was very funny!" commented Lily happily.

"Nah, the time when Funky fired a boot from a bazooka into him from behind is funnier!" said Tiny. "Look at how far he flew afterwards!"

"Nah, that distance is nothing compared to Donkey sending Lord Fredrik into the sky," Dixie told her.

"Those are interesting tales you have there!" commented Yuugiri.

"Yeah! Tell us more! Got anything funny?" asked Lily.

"I know!" said Funky, raising his arm. "Want to hear about the time when I inflated myself like a balloon for the first time and had to let loose the air inside?"

While the zombies and Kongs were happily chatting with each other, something was approaching the island from the sea, and none of them noticed this.

Two large ships were approaching.

One of them had a crocodile's skull and crossbones printed on its sail, while the other one had a snowflake printed on its sail.

* * *

TO BE CONTINUED

In this story and perhaps even my headcanon, the factory levels in the original DKC, DK64, and Returns are all the same location.

Okay, not that much longer than the previous one, but as long as it has something happening, it's a good thing, right?

I'm sure you can tell who are coming to DK Island! Please look forward to it!


	7. Tropical Freeze

**Chapter 7  
Tropical Freeze  
**

* * *

The presence of the jack-in-the-box in the room surprised the folks in the factory. "What... What is this...?" asked Sakura.

Taking a closer look at the jack-in-the-box, Diddy said, "I think this was some kind of jack-in-the-box the Kremlings made. Yeah, I'm starting to remember... We battled it once and destroyed it."

"I remember that too," said Donkey. "Guess it was left here all this time afterwards..."

"Let's a hope eet doesn't get-a back up," said Mario.

"I don't see why it would start moving again so suddenly..." said Diddy.

Curious, Saki walked around the jack-in-the-box to get a better look at it. She unknowingly stepped on something, as evident of a clicking sound being heard. Looking down, she found herself standing on a blue, square button on the floor.

Electricity appeared from underneath the jack-in-the-box, zapping it. The others backed away while looking at the occurrence before them in shock. The electricity lasted for a few seconds, and then it disappeared.

"What happened just now?!" asked Sakura.

"I just stepped on that... button..." said Saki while pointing at said button. "Was that a bad thing or not...?"

Suddenly, the jack-in-the-box's red eye glowed brightly, and then the entire thing began moving, much to their surprise. The jack-in-the-box, Mad Jack, repositioned itself upright and then looked around as if confused.

The others were shocked and nervous as they took steps back from the jack-in-the-box. "This is bad..." said Donkey.

"Yeah, my bad..." said Saki in a guilty tone.

"Let's-a hope eet'z friendly..." said Mario.

Mad Jack eventually looked at them. He stared at them for a few seconds, and when he noticed the Kongs, something in his mind "clicked." The programming he was given by his creators to destroy the Kong family came flooding back to him, and then the jack-in-the-box cackled maniacally in a distorted and almost jack-in-the-boxic-sounding voice, as if it's vocal cord was damaged.

**BGM: Mad Jack (Donkey Kong 64)**

"I don't think that's a friendly laugh..." said Sakura in fear.

"We betta run for eet!" suggested Mario. This sounded like a good idea to the others, so they turned to run out of the room. However, Mad Jack performed an incredible jump over them and landed in front of the door, blocking their way. He turned around to face them and laughed again.

"Oh no!" gasped Sakura.

"I didn't think it would be that easy anyway..." said Diddy.

Cracking his knuckles, Donkey said with a serious expression, "Then we have no choice but to take it down. It wouldn't be a good idea to leave it here in the factory now that it's active either." Mario nodded in agreement.

"But how are we going to take down something that big?!" asked Sakura. Indeed, the jack-in-the-box was about seven to ten meters tall.

"Don't worry; we've taken down some pretty big opponents before, including this guy," Diddy told her. "Plus, he looks pretty old and damaged already, so this shouldn't be too tough."

Mad Jack jumped towards them with the intention of crushing them with his box. Everyone got out of the way, and the jack-in-the-box landed with a powerful slam that shook the floor.

Rambi charged at the jack-in-the-box, slamming his horn into the side of his box hard. In fact, the rhinoceros's horn pierced through the box.

Donkey jumped onto the side of the box and from there, jumped at the jack-in-the-box's head, hitting it in the chin with a powerful uppercut that caused his head to bounce back.

The jack-in-the-box recovered and made a frustrated noise as Donkey jumped off him. Mad Jack jumped at him again, and he got out of the way. This time, a shockwave was created when the jack-in-the-box landed, blowing away the gorilla.

Tae roared loudly as she ran at Mad Jack and made an incredible leap at the him. She grabbed onto the jack-in-the-box's red eye that was hanging out of its socket by a coupe of wires and bit it hard. Mad Jack cried angrily as he reached his hand to Tae to get her off, but she jumped off the eye and all the way to his spiky head, grabbing onto one of the spikes and biting it hard.

Rambi rammed into Mad Jack by the box again, and then Donkey climbed his way up the jack-in-the-box in the box until he was in front of his forehead. The gorilla headbutted the jack-in-the-box over and over nonstop. Mad Jack cried in pain as he swung his body around wildly until Tae and Donkey were both thrown away. A crack revealing his interior could be seen on the forehead afterwards.

Perhaps due to the damage caused earlier, Mad Jack began to writhe uncontrollably while short-circuiting. "Looks like it's going down soon!" said Saki in delight.

"Told ya this thing is old and rusty!" said Diddy.

Mad Jack let out a distorted and robotic cry before jumping at Donkey again. The gorilla got out of the way, and when the jack-in-the-box landed, he tilted over and crashed on his front. Tae ran up to the red eye, grabbed its wires, and with a powerful yank, ripped out the eye completely. Using the eye and its wires as a flail, she struck Mad Jack's head over and over until the eye shattered.

Donkey went up to the spring connecting it to the box. Grabbing one part of the spring and stepping on another part, the gorilla pulled as hard as he could. After several seconds of pulling, he was able to tear the spring in two, severing Mad Jack from his box completely. After being dropped onto the floor, Mad Jack cried out in a distorted voice for a few more seconds before becoming still.

**BGM Ends**

"There! That should do it!" said Donkey while dusting his hands.

"You did it, DK!" said Diddy happily while jumping up and down and clapping his hands.

"I was thinking of how I could help, but eet seems that-a you didn't need-a me!" said Mario.

Sakura went up to Tae and petted her. "Wow, Tae! You did great!"

"Yeah! That was a cool thing you did there!" Saki said to the mindless zombie. The former made a loud cry that seemed to be a victory cry of sorts.

"Well, that takes care of that," said Donkey, looking at the destroyed Mad Jack. "Let's get out of here now. I never really liked this place..."

"Me too... Brings back bad memories..." agreed Diddy.

"I have to agree that this place gives me da creeps..." said Mario, and the zombies nodded too. They all didn't like the creepy atmosphere this place gave them.

The group backtracked through the factory to return to the entrance and leave through it. They eventually saw the door leading outside and the sunlight that was pouring in from out there. "All right! It's the exit!" said Sakura happily.

"Does anyone feel like the temperature is a bit... chilly all of a sudden?" asked Diddy as he wrapped his arms around himself.

"Now that-a you said-a eet, you're right..." agreed Mario.

They walked out of the factory and were greeted with a surprising sight. The outside was covered in snow, and many things were frozen in ice. "Snow...?! But the sun was so hot and bright just now!" said Saki.

"This isn't normal, is it...?" asked Sakura.

"Not at all..." replied the Kongs while shaking their heads. Even Rambi shook his head.

* * *

Several minutes ago, the temperature and the appearance of the island were still perfectlly normal. The zombies, Luigi, and the Kongs were still chatting with each other in the cabin.

"We've talked a lot about ourselves and our adventure, but you girls haven't said about anything yourselves yet other than your name," Dixie said to the zombies. "How about you share your side of the story?"

"Yeah, how did you girls become zombies?" asked Lanky.

"Well... We're not sure how we became zombies... The person who made us like this never revealed his secret..." replied Ai. "We all died and was then brought back to life by him... to become idols..."

"Is there a particular reason he made you idols...?" asked Tiny, who found that response weird.

"He says he wants to revitalize his homeland because it has a declining population and number of tourists, so he figured that a popular idol group will be enough to attract people," replied Junko.

"We thought it was a ridiculous and dumb idea at first, but... things ended up great!" said Ai with a smile. "We've gain a lot of popularity in a short amount of time."

"Yeah! We have lots of fans!" added Lily.

"Does anyone know you girls are zombie?" asked Dixie.

"Our producer wants us to keep it a secret, so as far as we are concerned, no," replied Yuugiri.

"Right, the folks back in our world probably won't take this fact very well, unlike here, where weird stuff is the norm..." said Ai. "I mean... we don't have mushroom-headed people or talking animals back in our world, and zombies aren't supposed to exist outside of fictional works, and they have a bad reputation due to being portrayed as being dangerous..."

"We put on makeups to disguise ourselves as humans when out in the public, and it works like charm!" said Junko.

"But it must be tough trying to keep up the facade all the time, isn't it?" asked Lanky.

"I think we're doing fine," said Lily. "At least nobody seems to recognize that we were people who died in the past and came back to life. I think..."

"What is it like being a zombie?" asked Tiny.

"Well, we don't have to eat, drink, sleep, and even breathe," replied Ai. "Our injuries heal at a fast speed, but ones that we received when we were alive or during the times of our deaths don't heal. In fact, those wounds stick around forever."

"We also don't age! Because of this, Lily is now forever twelve years old and will always look cute!" added Lily.

"Sounds really awesome to me!" commented Lanky.

Suddenly, there was the sound of explosion, and it shocked them. "What wuz that?!" asked Luigi in shock while looking around.

Just as they were wondering what happened, they felt the temperature in the room changing. "Um... Does anyone feel like it's getting a bit cold...?" asked Tiny as she began to shudder.

"Chunky feels cold..." said Chunky.

Everyone went outside the cabin to see what was going on, and they were surprised to see the area up ahead colored white as if it was covered in ice and snow. "What happened up there?!" asked Dixie in shock.

Luigi then noticed something flying in their direction. "What eez that?!"

It appeared to be a white ball falling in their direction, so they got out of the way fast. The "white ball" struck the ground and created a white explosion. When the white smoke that was more like mist cleared, the area around where it struck was now covered in ice and snow. Even the cabin was frozen in ice due to being close to the explosion. Needless to say, they were all shocked to see this.

"What... What was that?!" asked Junko.

"This never happened before..." said Dixie.

They continued to hear explosions and see white balls striking different parts of the island. Curious, they made their way to the shore to see what was happening. Stepping out of the jungle, they saw the two ships from before relatively close to the island. The one with a snowflake on its sail had a large cannon on board it, pointing into the air and in the direction of the island.

"I have the feeling that they aren't friendly people..." said Luigi.

"Are they responsible for this?" asked Lily.

Dixie looked at the two ships there and took notice of the symbols on their sails. "I know them!" she said. "It's the Kremlings and the Snowmads!"

"Oh no! K. Rool is here!" gasped Tiny.

"Who are the Snowmads?" asked Lanky.

"You weren't on this island when they came, but I did tell you about them before, right?" said Dixie.

The cannon on board the Snowmad's ship fired another white ball, this time aimed at them. They all ran back in the jungle to avoid getting hit by it when it hit the ground and caused the area around it to freeze over.

The two ships began making their way towards the shore. The good guys looked up from their hiding place behind some frozen bushes and saw people beginning to step down from the ships. The Kremling's ship had crocodiles of various heights and sizes coming down, while the Snowmad's ship had a variety of animals such as walruses, owls, penguins, rabbits, and more. The crocodiles were mostly dressed as pirates, whereas the other animals were dressed like Vikings.

Two particular people grabbed their attentions the most. One was a overweight crocodile equipped with a golden crown and a red cape on his back, and the other one was an obese walrus with blue pupil-less eyes.

"K. Rool and Lord Fredrik... I can't believe that those two are in this together...!" said Dixie in disbelief.

"Those two are your enemies you talked about previously, right?" Ai asked her with a worried look, and the latter gave yes as an answer.

"What do we do...?" asked a scared Junko.

"I'd say someone go and tell those so-called Vikings that they're not real Vikings!" said Lily, which made everyone look at him with odd expressions.

"What do you mean?" Lanky asked him.

"Real Vikings don't wear horned helmets! Horned helmets are made up for medias and are used so often that people think they're like that in history!" said Lily, looking angry. "They're clearly not real Vikings and simply ignorant wannabes!"

"I appreciate that piece of trivia, but I don't think this is the right time to be talking about historical accuracy..." Ai said to him.

"What do we do now?" Tiny asked Dixie.

"We better go tell Cranky and the others about this..." replied Dixie. "Let's hope Donkey and the others come back fast to deal with this..."

One particular member of the Snowmads, a large bearded owl wearing a Viking helmet, noticed them hiding among the bushes and said out loud, "There are people hiding there, spying on us!"

All eyes turned to the hiding spot of the good guys, shocking them. "Oh no! They saw us!" cried Junko.

"Run!" suggested Dixie, and then they all turned to bail.

"It must be the Kongs!" said K. Rool. "After them!"

"I'm going after them as well! I'm going to get back at them for coming against us that time!" said Lord Fredrik angrily.

Hearing this, K. Rool smiled evilly. "Your thought is as good as mine! It's been a while since I saw the Kongs, so I'm looking forward to this reunion!"

Lord Fredrik then turned to his men and said, "You go and carry the Freezer TNTs to all over the island and set them off! We're going to cover this island in as much ice as possible!" His men obeyed him, and then some of them picked up medium-sized crates and walked off in various directions.

The two captains then gave orders to some of the other subordinates to guard the ships, while another group would follow them into the jungle to find the Kongs.

After they were done forming groups, K. Rool and Lord Fredrik began leading their groups deeper into the island. "This time, we're going to win, Kongs!" said K. Rool with confidence. "Heheheheh!"

* * *

TO BE CONTINUED

And so, the Kremlings and the Snowmads have joined forces to take on the Kongs! Looks like Franchouchou picked a bad time to come to DK Island... At least they get to beat the heat, right?


	8. Frozen

**Chapter 8  
Frozen**

* * *

A group of Snowmads arrived outside Kremkroc Industries. Putting down the crate at the middle of the factory grounds, they opened it to remove a cylinder-shaped machine with blue sticks sticking out around its top, and there were some light bulbs and wires at its sides.

A walrus pressed some buttons on the side of the odd-looking machine, and then a countdown appeared on its small LCD screen. He told the others to run to safety, and they did so.

When the countdown reached zero, the machine exploded, releasing white mist all over the place. When the mist cleared, the entirety of the factory grounds was no covered in snow, and anything objects that were in that area were frozen in ice. The Snowmads looked out from their hiding places behind the trees of the jungle out there and shouted with joy that they succeeded in detonating the Freezer TNT.

Not too long afterwards, the good guys who were in the factory stepped outside and were surprised to see that the setting had changed. Walking out onto the snowy ground, Mario asked, "What-a happened here?"

"Somehow, I'm getting deja vu from this..." said Diddy.

Saki looked around and noticed the Snowmads walking back into the factory grounds. "Who are they?"

When the Snowmads saw them, they were surprised. Donkey and Diddy were surprised as well. "Snowmads!" the Kongs gasped.

"It's the Kongs!" gasped the Snowmads. They then took out their weapons consisting of spears, swords, and bows and arrows. "Get them!" The villains then charged at them while making war cries.

Freaked out, Sakura asked, "They're attacking us! Why?!"

"Because they're out enemies, and we've faced them before!" said Donkey angrily before running at the Snowmads, and Diddy did the same.

Both sides clashed with each other, and Donkey, despite being outnumbered, was able to knock down several of them at once with his strength. Diddy's quick movement allowed him to move around the Snowmads without getting hit, and he attacked them with kicks, tail whips, and stomping.

While Donkey was punching the lights out of a walrus, a penguin tried to stab him with a sword from behind, but he was stopped by Tae, who grabbed him from behind and hurled him away. Another walrus tried to attack her with a spear from the side and successfully pierced her in the body.

The zombie turned to glare at him in response and then swung her hand across his face hard to knock him away. She then pulled the spear out of her body, which surprised the walrus, as he was expecting her to fall over in pain or die, and broke it in two before jumping onto him to pound him in the face over and over.

"Let-a me help too!" said Mario as he rushed towards the Snowmads and began fighting them.

Sakura and Saki stood at the sidelines, watching them fight. Saki looked eager to fight, as she was rolling up her sleeves and beginning to walk forward. "Don't get into fights without me! That is what I am born for!"

"Be careful, Saki..." Sakura said to her in concern.

An arrow was suddenly shot at Saki, piercing her in the forehead. She merely took some steps back and remained in a fine condition. She pulled the arrow out of her forehead and glared at the walrus who shot her, and needless to say, the latter was shocked that she was still alive, even more so when the wound on her forehead healed up.

"You're asking for it, pal!" said Saki as she ran towards the walrus angrily. The walrus continue to fire arrows at her, hitting her in the body. Saki flinched a bit, but she continued to press on nevertheless. By the time she was close to the walrus, she had four arrows sticking into her body.

The walrus was terrified when Saki got in front of him with a look of rage. "What... What are you?!" he asked.

"Your worst nightmare!" replied the zombie in an intimidating voice before stabbing him in the shoulder with the arrow that hit her forehead. He screamed in pain and fell to the ground, and then Saki kicked him away.

The good guys continued to battle the Snowmads until most of them were knocked out, and the remaining ones fled, as they were now outnumbered. "Yeah! Run like your life depends on it, because it will end if you don't!" Diddy told them.

"Haha! We won!" said Saki happily. Tae also made a victorious cry.

"Who are they again?" asked Sakura.

"Snowmads, Vikings who invaded our island once and claimed it for themselves," explained Donkey. "They turned our island into a frozen wasteland, but we managed to change it back. Can't believe they're here again..."

"How did they freeze up this place? You took the horn they used for freezing up islands, didn't you?" Diddy asked Donkey, who shrugged in response.

"Whatever da case eez, we should return to da othas," suggested Mario. "I have da feeling that-a they will be needing our assistance."

The others agreed, so they hurriedly rushed back to the area where the Kongs live.

* * *

"Cranky! Open up quick!" cried Dixie while knocking on the door of Cranky's cabin nonstop.

The door opened, and Cranky came out with an annoyed look. "What is it?! You're acting as if the end of the world is happening!" he angrily said to her.

"Bad news! The Kremlings and the Snowmads have come to this island, and they're slowly freezing the entire place!" Dixie explained to her, and the others supported what she said.

"Are you serious about this?" asked a skeptical Cranky.

"We're serious, sir!" Ai said to him. "We came to warn you about this and ask for your advice on what to do!"

"Just tell Donkey about it. I'm sure he can handle things," suggested Cranky.

"About that... He's not with us at the moment..." Dixie told him. "He's still looking for the missing zombie..."

Cranky grumbled when he heard this. "That good-for-nothing grandson! I'm going to teach him a lesson of not being at the right place when he is needed when I see him!"

"What do we do now? Mario went-a with him..." said Luigi.

"How about you young ones do something about it?" Cranky said to them. "Aren't young people supposed to protect the elderly? Do me a favor and go kick them out of this island!"

Hearing this, Chunky beat his chest and said, "Cranky smash bad guys!" His younger brother Kiddy also thumped his chest and let out a war cry of sorts.

"Well, if things come down to this, then we have no choice but to defend this place until Donkey returns," said Tiny.

"Can you really do it...?" asked a nervous and scared Junko.

"We battled K. Rool and the Snowmads before, so I'm sure we can handle them again," said Dixie with confidence.

"Oh yeah? Then have you defeated us both at the same time before?" said a monstrous voice all of a sudden. They all turned to see that K. Rool and Lord Fredrik had caught up to them with their army. K. Rool was the one who spoke just now.

"Oh no!" gasped Lily.

"Surprised to see us? And also the fact that we are working together now?" K. Rool said to them.

"Vengeance is ours this time!" Lord Fredrik said to them. "We both have a common enemy and hatred in you Kongs, so what better way to get back at you than to work together? The Kremlings have been kind enough to provide us with freezing technology to replace my precious horn that you stole from me, and speaking of which, I'm going to take that back!"

"Over our dead body!" Dixie angrily said to him while stepping forward. Tiny, Lanky, Kiddy, and Chunky stepped forward fearlessly as well, while the zombies and Luigi trembled in fear behind them. "We're not going to let you steal our island again! We will beat you up right here and now! You better wish that Donkey not show up, or else the beating will be even more painful!"

"Ha! You should be wishing that he is here right now!" said K. Rool. "And where is he anyway? I have a score to settle with him."

"It matters not where he is, because once he realizes that his friends are held hostage by us, he will show up!" said Lord Fredrik, and K. Rool agreed that this was a good idea.

"You're not taking anyone hostage!" Dixie angrily said to them.

"You can be sure we will!" said K. Rool as some Kremlings stepped forward with high-tech guns in their hands.

"Chunky not afraid of you! Chunky will beat you!" said Chunky while thumping his chest, and then he ran towards the Kremlings. The latter open fired from their high-tech guns, firing whitish blue beams that froze Chunky in a block of ice when he was hit.

Needless to say, the others were shocked to see this. "CHUNKY!" gasped Tiny.

"Freeze'em up, boys! Donkey will be in a surprise when he returns!" K. Rool told his henchmen, and they began firing at the good guys.

The good guys hurriedly ran out of the way, and Lanky even pulled Cranky out of the way. "Run for it first!" said Dixie in panic.

"You don't have to tell me that-a!" cried Luigi as he ran ahead of everyone else.

The Kremlings gave chase, firing from their guns nonstop. Fortunately for the good guys, the crocodiles' aims were bad, so they kept on hitting random stuff at the sides.

Lily tripped on a rock and fell to the ground. Yuugiri saw this and was going to rush back to help him, but Ai ended up doing this instead. She picked up the young zombie and pushed her ahead before trying to catch up herself, only to get shot in the back by an ice beam. Her scream came to a halt when her entire body got encased in a block of ice.

"AI!" Junko and Lily gasped in horror upon seeing the fate of their friend.

The large bearded owl from before then descended over the frozen Ai and picked her up with his talons. "I'll be taking her!" said the owl, Skowl.

"No! Ai!" cried Lily as he reached out to her companion in tears, but Yuugiri held her back.

"Ai risked her life for you, Lady Lily, so please do not throw away her sacrifice!" the courtesan told him.

The Kremlings continued to fire from their ice guns at the good guys, who once again kept on running and avoided the shots.

"How long are we going to keep-a on running?!" cried Luigi.

"Until we shake them off somehow!" replied Dixie.

The Kremlings were still going after them when suddenly Expresso rushed out from the bushes at the side and ran into them, knocking them away. The good guys turned around to see the ostrich squawking at them while motioning for them to go on ahead while he deal with the villains. The Kremlings were getting back up, so Expresso proceeded to kick and stomp them.

"Quick! Let's keep on running!" said Dixie. "I think I know a good place to hide now!"

Dixie led everyone to a rocky wall with some bushes in front of it. She shoved the bushes aside to reveal a cave entrance behind it, and then they all went inside. She placed the bushes back in place again to conceal the entrance. "We should be safe here," she said. When she turned around, she was surprised to see that the zombies' eyes were glowing with red light. "Whoa!"

"Sorry... Our eyes can light up during the dark..." replied Junko. "It helps us see better."

"That's convenient!" commented Tiny.

"Let go of me now! My legs are still strong!" Cranky said to Lanky frustration, and the latter put him down. "Geez! Can these past few days get any worse? Encountering my old enemy, falling from a building, getting hospitalized, bringing back an unwanted guest, and now having my home invaded!"

"At least you're still breathing," Lanky said to him.

"Just you see! I'm going to outlive every single one last of you!" said Cranky while waving his cane angrily in the air. His eyes soon began to adjust to the darkness. There were luminescent mushrooms in the cave that help lit up the place a bit, so it wasn't completely dark. "This place... It's Wrinkly's grave."

"Wrinkly?" said Luigi curiously. "Eezn't that-a da name of your wife?"

Cranky nodded. "Yes. After she passed away, she was buried here."

"Your wife passed away...?" said Junko with a hint of sadness.

Cranky nodded. "Right, and at a ripe old age too. She was a nice lady back in the days and one of the few people to understand me." He then let out a sigh. "What I wouldn't give to be with her again..."

"Is my current state not enough?" said the voice of an old woman all of a sudden.

Luigi and the zombies were surprised by that new voice and looked around to see who was speaking. They eventually saw a ghostly gorilla floating in front of a tombstone that had the name _Wrinkly_ written on it. The ghost waved at them with a smile, and they freaked out, except for Yuugiri, who simply widened her eyes. "GHOST!" screamed Luigi, Junko, and Lily.

"Oh hi, Grandma Wrinkly!" Dixie said to the ghost while waving at her. Tiny, Kiddy, Lanky did the same.

"Nice to see you young ones healthy and all!" said the ghost named Wrinkly as she waved at them, and then she looked at Luigi and the zombies. "Looks like there are some new faces here. I'm sorry if I surprised you. I am Wrinkly Kong, Cranky Kong's wife, like you heard him said just now!"

"You... You're a ghost...?!" said Luigi in shock and disbelief.

"Indeed I am!" said Wrinkly with a nod. "I may have died, but I continued to live on as a ghost."

"How... How is this possible?!" asked Junko in disbelief.

"Honestly, I am not that surprised," said Yuugiri. "If we can come back to life as zombies, then ghosts should not be too strange."

Wrinkly got closer to the zombies and observed them from head to toe. "I see... You girls are quite like me," she said. "Dead but given a second chance at life, albeit in a different way." She then moved away from them a bit. "It's such a tragedy that you lost your lives at such young ages, but on the bright side, you get to enjoy your eternal youth. Isn't that a good thing?"

"Yep! Lily can forever remain young and cute now!" said Lily happily.

Wrinkly giggled in response. "What girls wouldn't give to look young forever! Anyway, something bad must be happening out there that you came here to hide, isn't it?"

Dixie nodded. "Yeah... The Kremlings and the Snowmads have joined force to come against us... They got Chunky and one of the zombies' friends!"

"And they've got awesome but dangerous weapons with them this time!" said Funky.

"My grandson should be here dealing with them, yet he's out there somewhere doing who-knows-what!" said Cranky in frustration.

"I'm sure he will show up sooner or later to deal with things, but for now, you are safe here," Wrinkly told them.

"I'm worried about Ai... Will she be all right?" asked a concerned Lily.

"Considering that we cannot die, at least not so easily, I doubt there is much they can do to her," Yuugiri reminded him. "For now, we can only hope that Lady Ai will be fine."

"We will definitely rescue your friend! You can be sure of it!" Dixie told the zombies with confidence. Kiddy made a cry that seemed to imply he was willing to help them make things better.

* * *

"I found it!" said a penguin as he came running out of Donkey's treetop cabin, holding over his head a horn.

Down below, Lord Fredrik looked at him with a pleased expression and said, "Give it to me!"

The penguin dropped the horn down for him to catch, and Lord Fredrik looked at object with glee. "Good! It is still in a good condition! At last, I am reunited with this!"

K. Rool, who was next to him, said, "What is the point of this if my technology already provided you with an alternative?"

"You underestimate this," Lord Fredrik told him. "I appreciate the technology you provided me with to use as substitute, but none of them has the power that can be compared to this horn! There is mystical background to this horn that allows it to be a destructive force of nature! With this, you can basically play god and alter the weather to your own liking!"

"Sounds nice," commented K. Rool. "Though I'm not too concerned about being the weatherman... I'm only in this just to get back at the Kongs, and speaking of which, what are you going to do now that you've got your toy back?"

"I will once again make this island my territory," Lord Fredrik told him.

"Well, you can have this island for all I care, because I'm only concerned about capturing the Kongs and putting an end to them," said K. Rool. "Once I've found all of them, I'll take my leave from here, knowing that I finally accomplished my life mission. Can't say I'm too fond of the cold. No offense, mind you..."

"That is understandable, considering you do not have fur," the walrus said to him.

K. Rool then turned to Chunky and Ai, both of whom were still frozen in ice. "Those two will do well to lure out Donkey! There's no way he's going to leave his friends behind!"

"And then we shall crush him together! Heheheh!" said Lord Fredrik as he laughed evilly.

* * *

After traversing through the largely frozen island, Donkey and his group arrived at Funky's garage, where Funky and the plane pilots who brought the zombies here were hiding in currently. "Good to see that you found your zombie friend!" Funky said to Donkey while looking at Tae.

"Good to see that you're all right!" Donkey said to him. "Do you know where the others are?"

Funky shook his head. "I don't know, sadly... They can be anywhere on this island, and worst case scenario, taken prisoners..."

Hearing this made Sakura worried. "What do we do...?"

"We have to rescue them!" suggested Saki.

"I doubt they will be captured so easily," said Donkey with confidence. "But we still have to reunite with them. If only I know where they are now..."

"They are at my place," said an old woman's voice all of a sudden. They all turned around and saw Wrinkly phasing into the room. Everyone except Donkey, Diddy, and Tae were shocked to see this.

"EEKS! A GHOST!" shrieked Sakura as she threw her arms around Saki.

"Grandma Wrinkly! I'm so glad you're all right!" Donkey said to her with joy.

"It's not like they can do anything to a ghost like me!" Wrinkly said to him.

"Who's this ghost?" asked Saki.

"That's Cranky's wife, Wrinkly," Diddy told her. "She died and now lives on as a ghost."

"A ghost? Neat!" commented Saki.

Wrinkly turned to the zombies and said, "I see that there are more of you here! If you're wondering, your friends are all hiding at my tomb at the moment. You should head over there, for the villains do not know about that place yet."

"That's great!" said Donkey happily. "Thank you for harboring them, grandma!"

"This is the least I can do," Wrinkly said to him. "They are worried about your safety."

With that, the group began to make their way to Wrinkly's tomb. Funky and the plane pilots decided to stay behind in the garage, as the former had built a bunker here to hide in case of situations like this, and there was enough food to last for days. "I'll be waiting until you resolved everything," Funky said to them. "But in case you need something, feel free to come over!"

"All right! Take care!" said Donkey.

The group then left, following Wrinkly's lead and making sure to take the path with no enemies. As they were following the ghost, Saki said to Sakura, "You know... I'm wondering what if we came back to life a ghosts instead? Will it be better or worse?"

"Being able to fly seems nice, but... I don't think we can disguise ourselves as humans or be idols like that..." said Sakura.

"You have a point... We probably can't even eat and drink..." said Saki. "Yeah, I think being a zombie is better..."

After several minutes of running through the place, they finally arrived at Wrinkly's tomb. Needless to say, they were happy to see each other at last. Luigi threw himself around Mario's shoulders and cried, "Mario! You're all right-a! I wuz so scared!"

"Eet'z all right-a now, Luigi!" Mario told him.

"Tae! I'm so glad you're all right!" Lily happily said to the mindless zombie while hugging her, and the latter nibbled his ear in response.

"Glad to see you all safe and sound!" Saki said to the other zombies, and then she noticed that someone was missing. "Where's Ai?"

Junko had a sad look on her face when she heard this, and Yuugiri said, "Lady Ai has been captured... She sacrificed herself so that Lady Lily can escape."

Sakura and Saki were shocked to hear this. "Ai! No!" cried Sakura, almost on the verge of tears.

Shaking her fist angrily, Saki said, "Those bastards! They'll pay for taking our friend! I'm going to rip them apart of it's the last thing I do!"

"Don't worry; we will definitely rescue your friend!" said Donkey with a look of anger as he approached them. "They took Chunky as well, and I will not standby and let them take over this island! They came here asking for a fight, so we will give them the fight they are looking for!"

"Count me in! I can't wait to beat them all up!" said Saki.

"I'm in as well!" said Mario. "I will not let-a them do as they pleez!"

Luigi began shivering. "Ugh... It's starting to get cold..."

Suddenly, the bushes covering the entrance were blown away by a powerful cold wind outside, and some of the snow also came in.

* * *

**BGM: Snowmads Theme (Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze)**

After obtaining the horn, Lord Fredrik made it grow in size magically to fit his large stature and then blew into it. A large amount of cold wind came out of the other end and spread across the entire island in a matter of seconds. In no time, the whole island was covered in snow, and even after he stopped blowing, the blizzard continued to persist.

"Yes! This is the way I like it!" said the walrus happily. His subordinates were jumping with joy at seeing what their leader did. "This is the horn's power! With it, I can alter climate to my liking!"

K. Rool was shivering as he stood next to him. "Yeah, it's cool and all... I hope you're happy with it... Now excuse me while I go get a warm coat to wear..." Then he walked away.

* * *

Looking out the cave entrance, Saki saw that the blizzard was still going strong, and snow was piling up all over the place. "Man, it's quite a snowstorm out there..." she said.

"It must be the work of that horn!" said Diddy. "The Snowmads must've found it and used it to turn this island into a frozen wasteland! They did it again!"

"I should've locked it up somewhere rather than just hiding it in plain sight in my cabin..." said Donkey, feeling guilty for this.

"You've gone and done goof, you fool!" said Cranky angrily while pointing his cane at him.

"Now, now, this is no time to be blaming anyone for what happened," Wrinkly said to her husband. "For now, we should focus on keeping ourselves warm. We can decide what to do after the blizzard has stopped. There are branches here that can be used to make firewood."

"Not sure eef eet'z possible to make a big enough fireplace for everyone here..." said Mario.

"You don't have to worry about us," Sakura told him. "We don't really feel cold due to our bodies being less sensitive than when we were alive."

"Yeah, I can take off my clothes and still feel like it's only spring!" claimed Saki.

"Right, we should focus on surviving this blizzard first," agreed Donkey. "When it is over, we're going to go and kick those villains' butts if it's the last thing I do!"

"I'm with you on this! They're ruining a perfectly fine vacation!" said Saki angrily.

"And they also kidnapped our friends! Lily won't let them get away with this!" said Lily angrily.

* * *

If one looks at DK Island from afar currently, they could see that the entire island was covered in snow, with a massive wall of snow swirling around it nonstop like a giant tornado. The sky above the island was also dark and constantly pouring down snow, as if snow swirling the island wasn't enough.

The animals of the island either found themselves freezing to death or were forced to hide in places that could provide them with warmth.

All the while, the Snowmads were enjoying the new climate, due to being species that thrive in arctic places and all. The Kremlings had to wear fur coats, as they could no stand the cold.

Regardless, K. Rool was happy with the outcome, as he knew that if the Kongs' homeland was in this state, taking them down once and for all would be simple.

To him, collaborating with the Snowmads was the smartest decision he ever made, and he could not stop smiling as he stood on a cliff and watched the frozen scenery before him while wearing a heavy fur coat.

**BGM Ends**

* * *

TO BE CONTINUED

It's Tropical Freeze all over again, just without getting sent to another island, which is a good thing. Let's hope the good guys survive the cold and return warmth to DK Island! I'm sure Lord Fredrik and K. Rool are looking forward to get sent flying into the sky again!


	9. How Startling

**Chapter 9  
How Startling**

* * *

The blizzard lasted all the way until next morning, and the good guys were left with no choice but to remain in the cave. Thankfully, it wasn't too cold inside, at least for the zombies, but they would prefer to have some form of warmth.

Fortunately for them, they were able to last until the second day. Donkey woke up early in the morning with a growling stomach and remembered that they didn't get to eat anything yesterday when the blizzard came, so now he was feeling hungry.

Other than the zombies and Wrinkly, the others were feeling the same. "Is there anything to eat?" asked Lanky while rubbing his belly.

"Funky's bunker should have food, so we'll have to go there," replied Diddy.

"I don't think I have the energy to walk at the moment..." said Tiny, and Kiddy nodded.

"Not like we have an option..." Donkey said to them.

Suddenly, someone stepped into the cave, surprising them. They thought it was an enemy and were ready to defend themselves, only to see that it was Funky. "Morning, dudes!" he said.

"Funky! It's great to see you!" said Diddy happily.

"I figured that you're having an empty stomach now, so I brought some food for you fill up your bellies!" replied Funky.

"All right!" said Lanky happily. Tae also cried in excitement.

Rambi and Ellie then came in, carrying on their bodies large bags containing food items. The Kongs and the Mario Bros. immediately dug in.

Turning to the zombies, Funky said to them, "Have some as well! I've brought enough for everyone!"

"Thank you, though we were thinking of letting them have their fill, since we don't have to eat," said Sakura.

"Just because you can't starve doesn't mean you should deprive yourself of life's pleasures! Dig in while you still can!" Funky told them.

"Don't mind if we do, then! Thanks for the meal!" said Lily.

The zombies then sat together with the others to began eating. As she was eating, Junko saw Wrinkly floating next to her and looking at the food. "Can... Can you eat?" she asked the ghost.

"Why of course, I can!" replied Wrinkly.

"How are you going to do it? You're a ghost, so you can't come in contact with solid objects," Saki said to her.

The ghostly gorilla chuckled and then reached her hand to a banana. Surprisingly, she pulled out the banana's "spirit" and proceeded to eat it. The banana itself remained unchanged. The zombies and the Mario Bros. were surprised to see this.

"What?! How did she do that-a?!" asked Luigi in shock.

The Kongs chuckled when they saw their reaction. "Haha! I knew you would be shocked!" said Diddy.

"Just because I'm a ghost doesn't mean I can't enjoy food," said Wrinkly while munching on the banana's spirit.

After a while, everyone was finished eating, Donkey flexed his arms and said, "All right! I feel energized again! Time to go beat up the bad guys!"

"Count me in!" said Diddy.

"I'm ready to fight as well!" said Mario while twisting his arms.

"You can count us in too!" said Dixie. Kiddy, Tiny, and Lanky all had eager looks on their faces, showing that they were ready to get into action.

"And don't forget us! If it's a fight, there's no way we're going to get left behind!" said Saki while punching her palm, and next to her, Tae let out a cry implying that she was ready to fight as well.

"No... We're not going to get into acts of violence..." said Sakura while waving her hand, and so did Junko and Lily.

"Right, we're not fighters, so we prefer staying here for our safety..." said Junko.

"Eh, suit yourself, but there's no way I'm going to sit this out," said Saki.

"I think you girls should stay here if you can't fight," Donkey suggested to the zombies. "The bad guys don't know about this..."

"Found them!" shouted someone. Everyone turned to the entrance in shock to see that a few Kremlings and Snowmads had found and entered the cave.

"Darn it..." grumble Diddy.

Without saying anything else, the villains began firing from their rifles and arrows. Sakura, Junko, Lily, and Luigi screamed as they ran out of harm's way, while most of the others charged at the villains after avoiding the projectiles to beat them up.

Because the enemies were outnumbered, they were made a quick work of. However, one Kremling was able to escape from the cave and ran as fast as he could while communicating through a walkie-talkie. Donkey watched him run off and said, "Looks like this place is no longer safe..."

"This sucks..." grumbled Lily.

"Come to my bunker, then!" suggested Funky. "I doubt the villains know about that place."

"Actually, we found that place not too long ago..." a walrus Snowmad lying on the ground said to him. Funky glared at him in response and then kicked him in the face to knock him out for good.

"Well, that really sucks..." said Funky.

"What... What do we do now that there is no more place to hide...?" asked a fearful Junko.

"Then let's stick and travel together," suggested Saki. "So long as we are a group, there is nothing to fear!"

"Good-a idea," agreed Mario.

"Looks like there is nothing to do now but to travel as a group," said Donkey. "Like Saki said, so long as we stick together, there's nothing to be afraid of. We will protect each other!"

"That sounds good and all, but do you have a plan on what to do other than taking down the people responsible for this?" Yuugiri asked him.

"I think the most important thing to do now is to find that horn," said Dixie. "Lord Fredrik used that horn to make this island like this, and the last time he did it, we also used the horn to change the island back to normal."

"Therefore, we just have to get our hands on the horn and blow into it with the intention of returning warmth to the island," said Diddy. "Also, that thing can double as a weapon, so if we can get it before the bad guys, we've got ourselves a great fighting power!"

"Sounds good to me!" said Donkey. "Lord Fredrik must be keeping it at his place, wherever that is." He then woke up the same walrus from before and demanded that he tell him where his captain was currently, and the walrus replied that he made his base at the foot of the volcano

"Volcano...? Is that a safe place to build one's shelter?" asked Junko.

"I wonder about that myself too..." said Diddy. "He had one literally on top of the volcano last time. Always thought that someone who prefers cold building his hideout there is weird for him..."

"Well, what are you guys waiting for? Go and kick these uninvited guests off the island already!" said Cranky.

"You'll have to come with us, gramps," Dixie said to him. "The bad guys know this place, so it's not safe for you to be sticking around."

"I don't need you young ones to be reminding me of this! My brain is still good enough to realize what must be done!" Cranky said to her rudely.

"Geez... Can't you speak a bit more nicely?" an annoyed Saki said to him.

Lily turned to Wrinkly and asked her, "What are you going to do?"

"Don't worry; I'm a ghost, so there is nothing they can do about me," Wrinkly said to him. "You young ones go ahead and do what you must do. I have faith in you all, so good luck!"

"Take care, grandma," Donkey said to her. With that, they all left the cave and began traveling through the snow-covered jungle.

"I'm going back to the bunker," said Funky. "I only hope those pilots and plane assistants are all right..."

"There they are!" shouted a voice. They looked up ahead and saw some Kremlings, most of them Kritters, over there, and then a large group of Kremlings charged forward, some of them wielding swords and some wielding rifles.

"Oh no! What do we do?!" cried a terrified Sakura.

Rambi let out a loud growl before charging forward, and just like that, he was able to send several Kremlings flying all over the place. The rhinoceros came to a sudden halt when he ran into a large-bodied Kremling, a Krusha. The Krusha grabbed hold of his horn and spun him in circles a few times before hurling him away. He then flexed his arms while crying in triumph.

"How dare you do that to Rambi?!" said Donkey angrily before charging at the Krusha. Both sides charged at each other, and then Donkey threw a powerful punch against his chest. Surprisingly, the Kremling was able to tank the attack, and he laughed in response afterwards. Enraged, Donkey began punching him nonstop. The Krusha was able to defend against them with his muscular body at first, but after much punching, he got worn down and finally got sent flying from the rapid punching.

"Ha! That was awesome!" commented Saki. She then noticed a Kritter getting back up and pointing his rifle at Donkey's back. Acting fast, Saki pulled off her head and hurled it at the Kritter, hitting him in the back of his head and interrupting him. The Kritter cried in pain and turned around as the head bounced into the air from hitting him. He saw a headless person running towards him and socking him across the snout. He fell to the ground, and Saki caught her head as it fell back down and put it back on.

"Thanks for the save!" Donkey said to her.

There were a few more Kremlings still up, but the Kongs, Mario, and Tae made a quick work out of them. After they were dealt with, the good guys continued pressing forward until they came to a small clearing. Looking up, Donkey could see the sole volcano of the island in the distance. "Lord Fredrik's base must be somewhere around there," he said.

"There's also the issue of K. Rool," Diddy reminded him.

"Yeah, we'll deal with him as well, but let's try to get our hands on the horn and return the island to normal first," suggested Donkey.

They kept on pressing forward, and all of a sudden, something swooped down from the sky, and before they knew it, Lily was gone. "Lady Lily?!" said Yuugiri in shock as she looked around for him.

"Hey! Let go of me!" cried Lily's voice. Everyone looked up to see Lily up in the air, caught in the talons of the giant owl known as Skowl the Starling. "Let go of me!"

"LILY!" gasped Sakura and Junko in shock.

"Hey you! Let go of our friend at once!" Saki angrily said to the owl.

"Hoohoo! You'll have to fight me for her, then!" said Skowl.

**BGM: Mountaintop Tussle (Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze)**

Swinging his wing, Skowl fired several feather with pointed ends in their direction, but they got out of the way. Tae then leaped as high as she could towards the owl, but the bird flew out of her reach before firing some feathers at her. They pierced her in the back, but she showed no ill signs for obvious reasons.

"Let her go at once!" said Donkey angrily as he threw snowballs at Skowl. The owl didn't bother to avoid it at all and instead let them hit him, which did nothing. Lily even got hit due to occasional poor aiming.

"Hoohoohoo! Do you seriously think snowballs can do something to me? You should try something like this instead!" said Skowl. One of his wings turned to ice, and when he swung it, a large ice ball was hurled at Donkey, who got out of the way.

"Get down here and fight like a man!" said Saki angrily as she removed her head and hurled it at the owl, but the latter swatted it away with his wing. "Hey!"

"That's quite a trick you have there, but regardless, there is nothing you can do about me!" Skowl said as he watched Saki run to pick up her head from the snow-covered ground. "Why should I come down and fight on the ground when I am the master of the sky? You can only blame yourself for not having the power of flight!"

"Let go of me already, you jerk!" said Lily angrily as he pounded his fists against Skowl's talon.

Skowl laughed at his attempt at getting free. "Hoohoohoo! Nice try, kid, but it's useless! Now watch as I freeze your friends to death!" He began flapping his wings at a fast pace to whip up strong wind and snow. In fact, the wind was so strong that everyone found him or herself getting blown away.

"Ugh! How are we going to defeat him?!" said Dixie while holding her hands over her hat to keep it from being blown away. She also struggled to maintain her footing.

"How did we defeat him again last time?!" asked Diddy, who was doing the same actions.

"I think it was by throwing his henchmen at him, but he has none this time around!" said Donkey.

Hearing this, Yuugiri turned to him and said, "Can you throw me at him?"

"What?" replied Donkey with a curious look.

"Can you do it? If so, throw me at him now!" said Yuugiri as she ran towards the still confused gorilla.

"I can, but..." said Donkey, but he was interrupted by her.

"Just do it!" demanded Yuugiri with a look that seemed to imply anger.

As he continued to struggle against the wind, Donkey lifted Yuugiri by her waist over his head, and then he ran as fast as he could towards Skowl before jumping up high and hurling the zombie towards the owl. Skowl, even though he saw what they were doing, was still taken by surprise by this.

Yuugiri flew into Skowl and grabbed onto the feathers at the front of his body. Holding on with one hand, she used her other hand, she slapped the owl in the face over and over. "Let go of Lady Lily at once!" Not only was her voice filled with anger, the force of her slapping was probably the strongest she had ever delivered. Feathers were actually sent flying off his body when he got hit.

The owl eventually dropped Lily, who felt right into Donkey's arms. "I caught her!" he called out to Yuugiri.

"Good job!" said Yuugiri happily. Skowl then shook his body to get her off, and she eventually fell from his body and landed onto the snowy ground. Running up to Lily, Yuuguri embraced him tightly. "Lady Lily! I'm so glad you're all right!"

"Thanks for saving me, Yuugiri Sis!" he replied.

"Awww! They're like mother and daughter!" said Dixie with joy.

"They've always been close to each other," Sakura told her.

"Fool! This shall be the end of you!" said Skowl angrily as he swung his wing in the two zombie's direction to fire an ice ball at them.

Donkey hurriedly got in front of the ice ball, caught it, and held it high over his head before throwing it at the owl, who was too surprised that the gorilla did something like this to get out of the way in time. He was struck by his own attack and knocked out of the air and onto the ground.

Tae then jumped onto his body and began mauling him violently, and he screamed in terror while trying to get her off. Feathers filled the air as he struggled against the zombie. While Skowl was still on the ground, Rambi charged at him and, with a powerful impact, successfully sent him flying into the air.

CRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAASH!

**BGM Ends**

Tae jumped off the owl while he was flying through the air, and then he landed several feet away.

"All right! We defeated him!" said Dixie happily.

"Let that be a lesson to you!" Saki called out to the unconscious Skowl.

"Well, that takes care of that-a" said Mario. "Shall we press on?"

Everyone nodded, and then they kept on pressing forward to reach the foot of the volcano.

* * *

TO BE CONTINUED

I feel like this chapter could have a better ending, but couldn't come up with one... Anyway, hope you still found it satisfying.

I got the idea for the way Wrinkly eats from the Pixar movie Coco, BTW. Pay attention to how the skeletons eat the food offered to them by their relatives.


	10. War Cry

**Chapter 10  
War Cry**

* * *

As the group continued on through the jungle, Funky stopped and said, "I'll be heading for the bunker to kick out the uninvited guests, if there are any."

"Right, go on ahead," Donkey told him.

Funky turned to Cranky and said to him, "You should come along too for your safety. There's food and all sorts of comfortable stuff there."

"Sounds like someone knows how to keep an old man entertained!" said Cranky as he went to Funky's side.

Raising her hand, Junko asked, "Is it all right if I go with you? It's probably safer for me this way..."

"Huh? You aren't heading to the bad guy's lair?" Saki asked her. "I thought we were in this together!"

"No... I can't fight, so I won't be of any use and even be a burden..." Junko told her.

"But you did great when we went to Bowser's place that time!" Saki reminded her.

"That was only because I was given powers!" Junko told her. "I don't have any powers currently, so I can't do anything, and I'm scared too!"

"We're zombies! What's the worst that can happen to us? We shouldn't be scared!" Saki told her.

"Not everyone is brave and strong like you, okay?!" Junko said to her, starting to sound frustrated. "I'm an idol! My job is to dance and sing, not beat up people, and I never learned self-defense!"

"Just-a let her be, Saki," Mario said to the blonde zombie. "Like-a she said, not-a everyone eez a fighta. If she doesn't want to, then don't-a force her."

"Please respect Lady Junko's decision, Lady Saki," Yuugiri told her. "I, too, decide to head to this bunker place for safety, as I do not think I will be of much help in dealing with the enemy at their hideout."

"You too, Yuugiri?!" said Saki in surprise, and then she sighed. "Fine, suit yourself... I was hoping that we can all rescue Ai together."

"Don't worry; we can rescue her!" Dixie told her.

So it was decided that other than Funky and Cranky, Junko, Yuugiri, Lily, and Luigi were heading to the bunker, while the others would continue heading for Lord Fredrik's base. Funky took the others and went in their own direction, while Donkey's group pressed on ahead.

"Will they be all right?" asked a concerned Sakura as she watched the other group leave.

"Funky's not lacking when it comes to fighting, so they'll be fine," Donkey told her.

"Luigi may not-a look like-a eet, but-a he's good-a at fighting too," Mario told her.

"Come to think of it, I never saw your younger brother engaged in actual combats before, and he's supposed to have saved your hide and accompany you on adventures before?" Saki asked the plumber.

Mario nodded. "Indeed. When push comes to shove, Luigi will musta his courage and fight, but... eet'z true he prefers being an onlooka..."

* * *

As Funky led his group through the jungle, Junko asked with a worried look, "Will they be all right?"

"Relax! Donkey is one of the toughest fighters around!" Funky assured her. "I heard Mario is a pro in this as well, so you have nothing to worry about! They're beat up the bad guys in no time and return this island to normal!"

"I can't believe this island is going to partially saved by my old enemy..." grumbled Cranky. "He just has to get involved in my life whenever he can, right?"

"Is this not a good thing?" Yuugiri asked him. "It shows that he is willing to let go of past grudges. Perhaps you should let go of your grudge towards him."

"A dead person like you wouldn't understand this," Cranky said to her.

Yuugiri let out a sigh and thought about the life she had when she was alive. "Perhaps..."

They eventually emerged from the jungle and saw the garage over there, and there was a incredibly muscular Kremling standing there, holding a large wooden club in his hand that he was slowly patting his hand with, and said Kremling saw them.

"Oh boy... This is going to be harder than I thought..." said Funky as he sweated nervously.

"He looks tough..." said Luigi.

"Yeah, he's Kudgel, and he probably has the biggest muscles of the Kremlings," said Funky.

"You! I know you're hiding there!" said Kudgel while pointing at them with his club. "Come out here so I can smash you with my club!"

"What do we do...?!" asked a scared Junko.

"Don't worry, miss! I have this handled!" Funko told her before approaching Kudgel with his arms raised, and he said the Kremling, "Easy there, pal! We simply stopped by to give you a greeting! Heard that ya made your home here, and since this is my place, I came to ask and see if you are liking it!"

"Yes, this belongs to us Kremlings now! The others are down below, enjoying the hospitality you've prepared for them, and it would do good if you scram and never come back!" Kudgel said to him.

"Good to hear that you like what I have down there, but I am still the owner of this place, and I never said it's for sell," Funky told him. "I'm afraid I'l have to get it back."

"Ha! You think you have the right to tell us what to do?" Kudgel said to him with a laugh. "You better watch your mouth, or else you'll end up like those humans down there, turned into ice cubes!"

"Huh, I was wondering what you did to them," said Funky as he crossed his arms. "That's not nice, turning my first guests into ice! I'm afraid I can't let this sit by any longer."

"You want a piece of me?" Kudgel asked him.

"That's what I'm thinking, actually," replied the gorilla as he lowered his shades a bit to glare at him with his naked eyes.

**BGM: Boss Bossa Nova (Donkey Kong Country 2 GBA)**

"Try your worst!" said Kudgel before bringing down his club, but the gorilla leaped out of the way

"Missed me!" said Funky before jumping onto Kudgel's head and slamming his fists onto it hard. Kudgel grunted in pain as he got knocked down a bit, only to recover almost immediately afterwards to hit the Kong with his club, but missed again. Despite his relatively large build, Funky displayed great agility by jumping around at a fast speed to avoid the hits.

"Yeah! Get him, Funky! You can do it!" cheered Lily while punching the air.

"You can get-a him! I believe in you!" Luigi called out to Funky.

Kudgel was eventually able to catch Funky by the leg and slam him onto the ground hard. The gorilla bounce off it a bit before standing back up, looking dazed. "Oof! That hit the spot...!" he said before getting sent flying by a club swing from the Kremling.

The others were shocked to see this, and then Kudgel turned to the others and said to them, "You're all next!"

"Oh no!" gasped Junko.

"Who wants to die first?" asked Kudgel as he approached them while patting his club against his hand. Junko and Lily were grabbing onto Yuugiri while trembling in fear, and the courtesan had a nervous look on her face, albeit she remained looking serious. Luigi was trembling while holding onto Cranky, who had an angry and annoyed look on his face, in fear.

"Get off me, green Jumpman!" said Cranky in frustration as he pried Luigi away and shoved him towards Kudgel.

Luigi tripped in front of the large Kremling and then looked up to see him staring down at him with an intimidating expression, and the former smiled awkwardly at him while waving. Without saying anything else, Kudgel slammed down the club, but Luigi rolled out of the way before standing back up to avoid the club swings that came afterwards. The man in green screamed in fright constantly as he kept on moving around the Kremling at a fast speed, and the latter couldn't hit him at all.

"Stay still, will you?!" said Kudgel in frustration as he kept on trying to hit Luigi. Luigi eventually jumped onto the back of his head out of desperation and karate chopped him on top of the head over and over. Kudgel cried in frustration as he shook his body to get him off, but Luigi somehow managed to latch onto him.

"Yeah! Luigi! Get him!" cheered Lily while pumping his fist in the air.

While Luigi was still holding onto Kudgel, Funky came running back into the scene and tossed himself at the Kremling, tackling him onto the ground before punching him in the face over and over, all the while with a large smile on his face.

Kudgel roared in anger as he forced himself back up and then punched Funky, but the latter ducked underneath it before jumping up to hit him in the chin with an uppercut. Luigi, on the other hand, tried to pick up the club that had fallen to the ground, but found it too heavy. Kudgel seemed to have ignored his club in favor of engaging in a fist fight with Funky.

Luigi continued to try to pick up the club, and after mustering enough strength, he was able to lift it off the ground slightly, just enough to swing it through the air and hit Kudgel in the legs from behind. This made the Kremling fall on his face, and then Funky used his opportunity to jump above him and come falling onto his back with a powerful elbow slam that made him cry in pain.

"Good going, Luigi! Now give it to me!" said Funky as he snatched the club from Luigi afterwards. Kudgel was getting back up when Funky swung the club into his face.

SMAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAASH!

Kudgel was sent for a spin after getting hit until he fell on his knees, feeling dazed from the painful hit. When he looked up, he saw Yuugiri glaring at him, and before he knew it, he received a powerful slap to the face from the courtesan. Combined with the club hit earlier, this was enough to knock him out.

**BGM Ends**

Luigi had a look of surprise on his face, while Funky gave her a thumbs up. "Nice one, lady!" he said to her.

* * *

After several minutes of traveling through the jungle, Donkey's group saw a building made of ice up ahead. It wasn't that big of a building and was only two stories tall.

"That should be it," said the gorilla.

"Looks like trying to get into eet won't-a be easy," said Mario, taking note of the Snowmads wandering around the place with weapons in their hands.

"You guys got any ideas on what to do next?" asked Saki.

"Before, we would always charge forward and beat up anyone who gets in our way until we make it to our destination," replied Diddy.

"That sounds reckless..." said Sakura.

"Always worked for us," said Donkey.

"Sounds like a good plan if you ask me!" said Saki.

"So let's try that method! They will never see it coming!" said Donkey as he got ready to step out of the bushes he was hiding behind of.

"Maybe we should reconsider things..." a worried Sakura said to him, but the gorilla had already grabbed the enemies' attentions by shouting out loud.

"Hey you! You are not welcomed on this island!" he angrily shouted. "Get out of here at once or else I will smash you all to pulps!"

The Snowmads stared at Donkey for a few seconds, and they all raised their weapons while charging at him at the top of their voices. Grinning enthusiastically, Donkey charged forward as well to engage them.

"This is too reckless! Look at how many of them are there!" cried Sakura. She then saw Tae growling angrily before charging into the battlefield. "Tae!"

"Who cares about that now? I can't wait to get join the fight!" said Saki enthusiastically before charging forward. All the other Kongs, Mario, and Rambi also entered the battlefield, while Sakura remained behind the bushes with a look of shock. "I... I... Ah... Why did I to tag along again...?"

Good question...

Raising his arm into the air, Donkey slammed his fists back down to somehow create a shockwave that knocked quite a few Snowmads to the ground. Rambi then charged past Donkey, trampling some of the fallen Snowmads and also knocking away the ones still standing with his horn.

Diddy grabbed onto the face of a walrus and began pulling his moustache. The walrus cried for him to let go, and another walrus wielding a club came to a rescue by hitting Diddy with his weapon, only for the spider monkey to jump away and end up hitting his partner instead.

Lanky balanced himself on his head and then stretched out his arms before spinning at a fast speed. Like a top, he moved around the place while spinning and knocked away everyone who approached him.

Thanks to her small stature, Tiny was able to move around at a fast speed, zipping around the Snowmads and kicking them while on the move. Two rabbits wielding hammers charged at her from both sides to smash her, but she got away at the last second to make them hit each other. Their helmets didn't help much.

Despite being hair, Dixie was somehow able to use it as a whip and strike with enough force to knock down enemies. She even picked up a struggling rabbit with it and threw her at walrus hard enough to knock them both out.

Tae leaped onto the head of a walrus and bit his head hard, making him cry in pain while running around and crying for someone to get her off. Saki came running towards said walrus and struck him in the face with a flying kick that knocked him out. Removing the club he was wielding, the blonde zombie swung it around in the air with a grin before using it knock away a penguin who tried to axe her from behind.

Mario avoided a spear strike from a penguin and got behind him to pick him up. As the penguin cried to be let go, Mario turned to another group of approaching penguins and threw him at them, knocking them down like a bowling ball knocking down pins.

Ellie sucked up snow into her trunk and then shot out snowballs rapidly like a machine gun. Despite being snowballs, they somehow managed to hit the Snowmads with a force strong enough to send them onto the ground.

"Get them!" shouted someone. Donkey turned to the source and, to his surprise, saw K. Rool standing at the top of a small hill, and he had commanded a large amount of Kremlings to charge into the battlefield.

"K. Rool!" Donkey angrily said to the obese crocodile.

"We meet at last, Donkey Kong!" K. Rool said to him. "This time, I'm going to win! You will never prevail against my army!"

"That's not going to happen! You will get off my island now!" the gorilla angrily said to him.

"I hate to say this, but... I think we're really outnumbered..." Diddy said to Donkey as he looked in fear at the approaching Kremling army.

Donkey looked around the battlefield and saw there were more Snowmads pouring out of the ice fortress. He growled in frustration and realized that they were indeed outnumbered.

There was then the sound of various animals, and Sakura felt the ground shaking. All of a sudden, animals of various kinds came charging out of the jungle behind her. She was freaked out by it and ended up running into the battlefield. "WAAAAA! WHAT'S HAPPENING?!" she cried.

"Whoa!" exclaimed Tiny as she and the others saw all the animals running into the battlefield to begin fighting the Snowmads and Kremlings in awe.

"Wow! All the animals on this island are joining the fight!" said Diddy in awe.

Indeed, the animals who made their home on the island were less than happy that their environment was ruined by the Snowmads and the Kremlings, so they had decided that they wanted to fight to take back their homeland.

Donkey watched in awe and saw some animals that he recognized. There was Squitter the spider, Squawks the parrot, Rattly the rattlesnake, Parry the Parallel Bird, Winky the frog, Expresso the ostrich, and Hoofer the wildebeest.

The Snowmads and Kremlings were surprised by the appearance of these animals, but nevertheless readied their weapons to fight. Soon, the battlefield became much more intense than before.

K. Rool watched angrily at the chaos going on from the hill he was on. "Argh! This is supposed to be a one-sided massacre against the Kongs!" he said while stomping the ground. "Why are those stupid animals getting involved?!"

"K. Rool!" shouted Mario, who was standing at the bottom of the hill.

"Mario! What are you doing here?!" the crocodile said in surprise to him.

"That-a doesn't matta! I'm going to help-a Donkey Kong take-a you down!" said the plumber as he got into a fighting stance.

"Oh yeah? This should be a nice change of pace!" said K. Rool. "I'm going to do what Bowser couldn't do, and that is to destroy you!"

"Try your worst!" Mario said to him.

While the battle went on, Lord Fredrik watched everything from a window on the second floor of his base. Some of his men were watching besides him as well. "Are there any further instructions, my lord?" a penguin asked him.

"Keep the base secured! Don't let any of them come in!" Lord Fredrik told him.

Down below, the battle continued to rage on. The only person who wasn't fighting was Sakura, who was running around the battlefield aimlessly, trying to get out of harm's way. "I SHOULD HAVE CHOSEN TO GO TO THE BUNKER!" she cried at the top of her voice in fear.

* * *

TO BE CONTINUED

Behold, the battle of epic proportions that put The Lord of the Rings to shame!

All those animals are enemies from DKC Returns. Remember that those animals aren't evil but simply brainwashed by the Tiki Tak Tribe, so it makes sense for them to aid the Kongs in fighting for the island.


	11. The Battle of DK Island

**Chapter 11  
The Battle of DK Island**

* * *

Outside Lord Fredrik's base, the war raged on as the animals of DK Island battled against the Kremlings and the Snowmads. Cries of anger and pain filled the air as both sides clashed against each other violently nonstop. It was hard to tell which side was winning.

While everyone busied themselves with contributing to the war, Sakura cried in terror as she rushed around the chaotic battlefield, trying to get out of harm's way. No matter where she look or ran, there were people fighting and getting injured. Sometimes a body would fall down in front of her, freaking her out and making her run in another direction.

"What do I do?! What do I do?!" she cried in panic. "Whoever heard of an idol being in a battlefield?! Let alone a zombie idol?!"

Sakura came to a stop when she saw polar bear wielding a massive hammer standing in her path. Seeing her, the polar bear known as Bashmaster raised his hammer over his head with the intention of crushing her with it. Sakura screamed at the top of her voice as she turned around to run, and when the hammer struck the ground, an explosion of cold mist and ice shards was created, blowing her backwards.

Sakura tumbled onto the ground and then turned around with a look of horror to see Bashmaster coming after her again. "NOOOOOO!" she cried while pointing her hands at him.

Bashmaster was going to hammer her when suddenly Kiddy spun through the air and crashed into his side so hard that he was blown away. Kiddy bounced back into the air and landed on his feet, and then he looked at Sakura and gave her an "okay" sign. "Tha... Thanks...!" the zombie said to him.

Bashmaster got back up and glared at Kiddy before running at him with his hammer raised over his head. However, he was interrupted when Tae jumped at his side and bit him in the waist hard. The polar bear howled in pain and tried to shake off the mindless zombie, who sunk her teeth firmly into his body to latch on tightly.

Kiddy used this opportunity to launch himself through the air like a spinning cannonball, hitting Bashmaster hard in the chest and sending him on his back. Tae then got on top of him, grabbed his head, and slammed it against the ground over and over nonstop while making angry zombie cries.

Bashmaster wasn't one to go down so easily, however. He forcefully stood back up and got the zombie off him, and he roared in anger as he tried to her with his hammer. Tae jumped straight up before he could do so and swung down her hands onto his head with enough force to make him keel forward. She then launched herself into his body, striking him with a flying headbutt to pushed him back several steps. He also dropped his hammer at the side as a result.

Seeing the hammer, Kiddy happily picked it up and held it over his head, a feat that surprised Sakura because of how easily he did so. Kiddy ran towards Bashmaster just as he was sitting back up and bashed him hard on the head.

SMAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAASH!

With that, the polar beam saw stars and passed out on the ground. Kiddy and Tae raised their arms into the air in triumph while making victory cries.

"Wow! That was awesome! You both did great!" Sakura said to them.

Donkey, who was fighting nearby, saw this and said to them, "Good job, you two!" He then turned to Sakura. "You... Forgot your name! You think you can get into the base over there and find the horn? We can turn the tide of the battle if we get our hands on that!"

"Why me?!" asked Sakura.

Donkey punched a Kritter in the face while replying, "I saw that you were quite a good runner earlier, and seeing how you can't fight, I figured you might as well go get the horn. You don't have to force yourself if you don't want to."

Sakura was unsure about what to do. It was true she couldn't fight and therefore had no use in the battlefield, but part of her felt like wanting to contribute something. Just as she was wondering what answer to give to Donkey, Tae crouched down in front of her with her back facing the red-haired zombie. "Tae? You want to carry me into the base?" Sakura asked her, and the latter nodded.

Remembering that Tae had impressive physical feats, Sakura was convinced that with her help, she might be able to get the horn. "All right, then I'll leave it to you to protect me!" Sakura told her, and the mindless zombie nodded again. Sakura then allowed herself to be carried on Tae's back. The mindless zombie stood up with her hands underneath Sakura then ran towards the base at a fast speed, avoiding anyone standing in their way.

When they were close to the base, Tae performed an incredibly high jump towards one of the second floor windows. Lord Fredrik saw this and was surprised, even more so when the two zombies entered the base through said window.

Sakura got off Tae when the latter landed, and the former said to her, "Good job, Tae!"

"Hey you! Who gave you permission to come in here?!" Lord Fredrik angrily said while pointing at them.

"Oh no..." said Sakura in shock when she saw him, and Tae was growling at him angrily. She tried to hold her composure and then said with a nervous smile on her face, "Excuse me, but... may I please have the horn... you took from Donkey Kong...? Heheh..."

"Oh sure, I'll give it to you... after you're dead!" said Lord Fredrik angrily, and then he ordered the penguin henchmen next to him to attack them.

Tae roared angrily at the approaching spear-wielding penguins and then pounced at them. Her swift movement and fierce appearance freaked out the penguins, and they were easily overpowered and sent flying by her. They never stood a chance against her. Tae then turned to Lord Fredrik and growled angrily at her.

"You think you're a tough girl, huh? I'll show you who the tougher one is, then!" Lord Fredrik said to her.

"I assume this is the one?" said Sakura as she picked up a blowing horn placed on top of a nearby drawer.

Lord Fredrik widened his eyes in shock and then ran towards her. "Hey you! Don't touch that!"

Seeing him approaching, Sakura screamed as she ran with the horn in her hands. Lord Fredrik chased her, but was hindered by Tae biting the back of his leg. "Get off me!" he shouted at the mindless zombie.

Sakura rushed out of the room and down the hallway. Fortunately for her, there was nobody around, so she had a smooth time escaping. Looking at the horn while she ran, she said, "This is the one, right? I can't believe I found it so easily! I better give it to Donkey fast!"

"Get back here!" hollered Lord Fredrik loudly as he gave chase after Sakura, his footsteps causing the floor shake with each step.

"Oh no!" gasped the zombie when she looked back at him, and she concentrated on running as fast as she could.

As the walrus chased Sakura, Tae jumped onto him from behind and bit his shoulder. "Ow! What are you?! A cave woman?!" he angrily said to her while trying to shake her off. "Get off me!" He pulled the zombie off his shoulder and flung her hard into a wall and continued going after Sakura.

The red-haired zombie rushed down the hallway fast and went down a staircase. When she was close to the first floor, she missed a step and tripped, tumbling to the bottom. "Ow!" she cried as she hit the floor and dropped the horn. Getting back up, she hurried over to the horn and picked it up and was relieved to see it not broken.

She looked around and found herself in a large room, and then she noticed something at the side. It was a pair of ice cubes, and Chunky Kong and Ai were frozen inside them. "AI!" Sakura gasped when she saw her friend inside one of them.

Lord Fredrik came to the same floor as her and said, "Give me back to the horn at once!"

Sakura stood up and faced the walrus angrily while pointing at the ice cubes. "How dare you put my friend on ice?! Let her go at once!"

Lord Fredrik looked at them and said, "That is what happens to all those who oppose me! I will see to it that you are frozen like them as well!"

"You villain!" Sakura angrily said to him.

"What do you think you can do to me? You're just a little girl with oddly-colored skin!" the walrus to her in a mocking tone. Suddenly, he screamed in pain. Tae had caught up to him and bit him in the back of his leg. "Stop biting me, you crazy woman!"

Tae was thrown off his leg, and the zombie growled angrily before lunging at him. With a swing of his fist, Lord Fredrik punched her away. Tae recovered from the punch almost instantly, however, and ran at him again. Lord Fredrik caught her by the head and then hurled her across the place and into the wall. She hit it hard and broke down into pieces, a sight that surprised the walrus.

"Tae!" Sakura said in shock.

Lord Fredrik turned to Sakura and said, "I don't know what the case with your friend is, but let's see if you break as easily as her!" He charged at her, but she swiftly got out of the way. The walrus attempted again, only to miss the second time. "Stand still!"

Remembering that Donkey said this horn could double as a weapon, Sakura decided to give it a try. When Lord Fredrik charged at him again, she blew into it hard, releasing a large blast of sound that was so strong that the walrus was blown backwards and slid across the floor until he hit the wall.

Sakura was surprised by this. "Wow! This is awesome!" She then turned to the frozen Chunky and Ai. "Maybe I can use it to free them!" Remembering how she was told one could use his or her mind to determine what one wants to do with this horn, Sakura blew into it with the intention of defrosting her friends. When blown into, the horn released warm wind that traveled over to Chunky and Ai.

Slowly, water was seen dripping from the ice blocks, and they slowly began to melt. When it melted completely, Ai fell to the floor, while Chunky looked around in confusion. The bandaged zombie got back up and looked around in shock and confusion, "Wha?! What the?! What happened?!"

"Ai!" Sakura happily said as she rushed over to Ai to embrace her. "I'm so glad you're all right!"

"Sakura! What happened?" asked Ai.

"You were frozen in ice, and I freed you!" Sakura told her.

"Why you?!" said Lord Fredrik angrily while glaring at them. "Now you've done it! I'm going to freeze you all and then shatter you into millions of pieces!" He charged at them, and the zombies screamed in terror. Chunky hurriedly got in front of them two and pulled back his fist before throwing a powerful punch into the unsuspecting walrus, hitting him in the belly hard and sending him across the room at a fast speed and crashing into a wall.

"Wow..." commented Ai in awe at the strength with which the gorilla punched Lord Fredrik with.

* * *

**BGM King K. Rool Battle (Donkey Kong 64)**

K. Rool and Mario stared down on each other while the battle raged on around them. The crocodile was the first to attack when he took off his crown and threw it at Mario, who jumped out of the way. The former caught the crown as it returned to him and got into a defensive stance when Mario ran at him.

Holding his hands up as if boxing, K. Rool threw a straight jab at the plumber when the latter was close to him, but Mario ducked underneath it and then jumped up, hitting the crocodile underneath his snout with an uppercut. K. Rool took a couple of steps back and then threw a right hook at Mario in anger, but the latter stepped back.

K. Rool kept on closing in on Mario while throwing multiple punches, only for the plumber to skillfully dodge them all. Mario eventually jumped behind him and grabbed his tail. Before K. Rool knew it, the plumber swung him in circles several times before letting go of him to send him flying quite a bit of distance. The crocodile screamed as he soared through the air, and he fell back down, knocking down several people.

K. Rool growled in pain and anger as he got back up and turned around to glare at Mario. "Now you've done it!" he loudly said before running at Mario on all fours like a feral beast. Mario charged at him and jumped towards him with his fist pulled back. K. Rool stood up when close to him and threw a punch, and their fists collided with a powerful force.

However, the crocodile had the more powerful punch, and he succeeded in blowing Mario backwards, though the latter was able to come to a skidding stop on his feet. K. Rool then jumped at Mario with the intention of crushing him underfoot. Mario leaped back but was caught off guard by a shockwave that was created by the crocodile landing. K. Rool was able to punch Mario away afterwards.

The plumber groaned in pain while rubbing his nose, and he opened his eyes to see K. Rool running at him again. The latter jumped at him with his fist pulled back and then brought it down onto him, but Mario rolled out of the way fast.

They glared at each other, and then a voice called out to them. They turned to see that it was Donkey, who was glaring at K. Rool. "Your opponent is me, K. Rool!" the gorilla angrily said to him.

"Oh good! I was hoping to fight you sooner or later!" said K. Rool as he cracked his fist. "Time for you to meet your doom, Donkey Kong!"

They ran at each other and clashed their fists against each other's so hard that a shockwave was created. Donkey immediately followed up with an uppercut to the crocodile's chin and knocked him into the air. K. Rool spun once in the air before landing on his feet, and when Donkey approached him to punch him again, he swung his tail at his legs to knock him down. K. Rool then lifted Donkey over his head before hurling him away.

After Donkey hit the ground, K. Rool jumped at him with his limbs spread out, intending to flatten him with a body slam. Donkey recovered and rolled out of the way in time, and before K. Rool could get back up, Donkey slammed his fists onto his back hard, making him cry in pain.

* * *

Lord Fredrik and Chunky clashed against each other furiously. Both sides threw powerful punches and kept on landing painful blows. Chunky, however, appeared to have the upper hand, as his punches were causing more damage to Lord Fredrik than he was receiving it. The walrus showed signs of fatigue after backing away from the gorilla.

As if that wasn't enough, Tae suddenly pounced onto him from behind and bit his shoulder. While Lord Fredrik was in pain, Chunky punched him in the guts hard.

All the while, Sakura and Ai watched them battle from the sidelines. "You can do it! Beat up that bad guy!" cheered Sakura.

* * *

K. Rool groaned in pain as he got back up, but was immediately punched in the face by Donkey. He took some steps back from it, and the gorilla closed in on him to continue punching, gradually building up his punching speed.

At the same time, back in the base, Chunky began punching Lord Fredrik nonstop, not giving the latter the chance to fight back, defend, or even move away.

The gorilla punched their opponents mercilessly nonstop, knocking out the lights out of the latter. After keeping this up for several seconds, the Kongs pulled back their fists and then delivered the strongest punches they could.

SMAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAASH!

**BGM Ends**

K. Rool was sent flying high into the air from the powerful punch delivered by Donkey, and at the same time, Fredrik received an equally powerful punch from Chunky to the face and shot back through the air, smashing through the wall and traveling high into the sky.

All those present turned their attentions to the sky in shock as they watched K. Rool and Lord Fredrik shoot through the air at a fast speed. Those two flew all the way off the island, catching the attention of their henchmen who were still back on their ships. All watched in shock as the two villain leaders flew towards the sea in the distance until they made large splashes.

The Kremlings and Snowmads had all stopped fighting after seeing what happened and were trying to process this information. Knowing that he had won, Donkey let out a victorious holler while thumping his chest, which grabbed people's attention.

"Great going, Donkey!" Mario said to the gorilla.

"Does this mean we won?" asked Saki.

"I think this is indeed the case!" said Diddy with a smile.

Realizing that their leaders were defeated and that their numbers were dwindling from the battle, the Kremlings and Snowmads thought that there was no more reason to keep on fighting. They screamed in terror as they began fleeing the battlefield, heading back for the shore and onto their ships.

Seeing this, the animals and all the other good guys cheered out loud, knowing that they finally won the battle. "We did it! We defeated the bad guys!" exclaimed Dixie happily.

"All right! We did it!" exclaimed Saki while punching the air and jumping.

The villains all returned to their ships and began setting sail. Funky then appeared in the air in a plane that was carrying a barrel with the word _TNT_ printed on it. Heading for the Snowmad's ship, he said, "There's one thing before I let you go!" He flew above the cannon of the ship and dropped the TNT barrel onto it.

The Snowmads watched curiously at the barrel as it landed next to the cannon, and a few seconds later, the barrel blew up, blasting a hole on the deck and also destroying the cannon. The Snowmads cried in shock as they attempted to put out the fire.

"Haha! Now you can't use that against us or anyone anymore!" said Funky happily while looking down from his plane.

The villains continued to sail farther and farther away from the island, both to escape the place and also rescue their leaders.

They had no intention of returning anymore, at least for a while. They had lost.

While everyone continued to celebrate their victory, Sakura, Ai, Tae, and Chunky came out of the base, the former holding the horn. "We won!" said Sakura happily. Tae also made a victory cry of sorts.

They saw Donkey heading over to them, and the gorilla noticed the horn. "Yes! That's the one!" he said to Sakura.

"Here you go! You know what to do with it!" said Sakura as she handed the horn over to him.

Donkey took the horn and then blew into it. Flowers and warm wind came out of the horn and spread throughout the place at a fast speed. When they came in contact with the ice and snow, they melted, and in no time, flowers began blooming.

"Wow! Incredible!" commented Ai when she saw what the horn was capable of.

The flowers and warm wind spread throughout the whole island in a short amount of time, and in no time, all the snow on the island melted. Spring has come.

Outside the bunker, the zombies there were in awe as they watched the snow melt and the flowers blooming. Bird were also flying around in the air, chirping happily that spring had come.

"Yes! They did it!" exclaimed Lily.

"Wow! This is so beautiful!" said Junko in awe as she looked at the colorful flowers blooming everywhere.

Back on the former battlefield, the good guys were still cheering over their victory and also the island changing back to normal.

They had won the battle. They had saved their island.

It was indeed a time to celebrate.

* * *

TO BE CONTINUED

The fight with K. Rool and Lord Fredrik could probably be longer, but... I don't really feel like dragging things out. Hope you still liked what you read.


	12. Song of the Jungle

**Chapter 12  
Song of the Jungle**

* * *

Things had finally returned to normal on DK Island. The artificial winter was gone, now replaced with an an artificial spring.

Placing the horn he obtained from Lord Fredrik into a wooden chest and then locking it up, Donkey said, "Let's hope it doesn't fall into the wrong hands again."

"You can always throw it away or destroy it," Diddy suggested to him.

"Nah, I feel like this may come in handy someday," said Donkey. "Something so powerful like this can be of great use when used correctly. C'mon, let's go see how the others are doing."

The two left Donkey's treetop cabin and then headed over to the building where they hang out with guests and such. Inside, the zombies, the Mario Bros., and most of the Kongs family were present, sitting and standing around. "Hey guys! How's everything?" Donkey asked them. "I hope you've all recovered from the fight."

"Never felt better!" Dixie told him. "It feels so good after winning a huge victory!"

"Yeah! Now I can boast to people about how I've participated in a real war and won!" said Saki. "Idols fighting in a war! Whoever heard of that? It's gonna make the headlines! Heheh!"

"It's not like we can let anyone in our world know about this..." Ai reminded her.

"At least the people here can hear about it," Saki said to her.

"By the way, they were just talking about how they want to show us why they are idols," Dixie told Donkey and Dixie.

"Right, we want to put up a small performance for you all!" Lily told the Kongs. "Consider it a victory celebration if you want to!"

"Sounds great!" said Donkey with enthusiasm. "I look forward to it!"

"In that case, we can put up our own small concert for you girls too!" suggested Diddy. "We formed a small band in the past before!"

"I would love to see it!" said Sakura happily.

While everyone was talking about this, Cranky was reclining on the sofa, and Tae was resting on it with her head on his lap. The elderly gorilla was gently patting the zombie, who was partially asleep, while saying, "Nowadays, they just have to make everything into cute girls... It's like the whole world revolves around them... Monster girls, battleship girls, animal girls, and now... zombie girls..." Then he looked at Tae. "Not like it's a bad thing, though."

* * *

Not too long after they've decided on this, a makeshift stage was held in a jungle clearing, and word of this spread throughout the place, so various animals arrived to see what this concert was all about.

Franchouchou made their way onto the stage and introduced themselves to everyone. Needless to say, them claiming to be zombies came as a surprise to all those who didn't know about this beforehand.

After the introduction was complete, the zombie idols played various songs they brought along and danced to them. Due to having performed them back in their own world before, they still remembered the dance moves and were able to memorize them perfectly.

The audience was impressed, and cheers and hand clapping filled the air in between each performance.

Franchouchou performed a total of four songs, the last one being Fantastic Lovers, which was originally performed by Iron Frill, the old idol team Ai was part of when she was alive.

They never performed this back in their own world due to copyright reasons. Even so, for nostalgia reasons, Ai had the group perform it back in their mansion. Never would she thought that she would actually be performing it in the public again.

Taking the center of the stage, Ai did most of the singing and dancing, as she was the one most familiar with this song.

_Mitsumechatte mitai_  
_KISU shichatte mitai_  
_Jinsei kawaru kurai no tassei kan_  
_Kanaemashou_  
_Tsunagarimashou_  
_Yume to doryoku de kirei wo tsukuru no_  
_Tokimekimashou ne_  
_Fantastic!_

_Just Fall in love (Ah-Ha)  
__Just Fall in love_  
_Just Fall in love (Ah-Ha)_

When the performance was over, the audience went wild like they did with the previous performances. The other idols gathered around Ai, who was actually so happy that she started to cry, something she never thought she would do on stage due to being a veteran idol.

"That was great, Ai!" Sakura said to her while petting her shoulder. "Really feels good to be able to perform your old song in the public again, right?"

"Never thought I would see you cry on stage! Always thought this was more of Sakura's thing!" Saki said to the bandaged zombie.

Ai said nothing but simply nodded with a smile and also wiping away her tears. Indeed, she never thought that she would be able to perform the song of her old idol group again.

Saki then said to the audience, "Thank you, everyone! That will be all for our performances! I hope you look forward to what we have in store in the potential future! Once again, we are Franchouchou, the greatest idol group in the world, and we are all zombies!"

The audience cheered loudly for them and chanted their group name over and over. They were all satisfied with what they saw.

Amidst the cheering, Donkey got up and headed for the stage, and he said to the audience, "All right, everyone! We Kongs would like to share a bit of our music talent as well! It wouldn't be fun to end things so soon, right? I hope you like what we are going to show you next!"

"Looking forward to what you have!" Sakura said to him before stepping off the stage with her comrades.

Donkey then took out a pair of bongo drums. Diddy, Tiny, Lanky, and Chunky then came on stage, all of them bringing with them musical instruments in the form of an electric guitar, a saxophone, a trumpet, and a triangle respectively.

Once all five Kongs took their positions on stage, they began playing when Donkey finished the countdown.

What they played was the title theme first heard in the original Donkey Kong arcade game and subsequently in some of the DKC games.

The aforementioned instruments being played together might not sound like the best combination, yet somehow, the Kongs managed to make the tune they were playing pleasing to the ears. The beating of the bongos, the electronic sound of the electric guitar, the trumpeting sounds of the saxophone and the trumpet, and the tingling of the triangle... It was a combination that resulted in a rather interesting tune.

As if they were familiar with this tune, some of the audiences began singing, or rather, making animal cries. There were the sounds of parrots squawking, elephants trumpeting, monkeys chanting, boars squealing, and more, all of them in a rhythmic way that served as makeshift lyrics for the tune.

The zombies were initially taken by surprise by all these sounds, but they soon found themselves enjoying the music greatly and clapped to the tune. The Mario Bros. also enjoyed the music greatly and clapped their hands and slowly waved their heads left and right.

Cranky was there as well, sitting on a rocking chair while enjoying the music with a smile on his face. As he listened to it, he began to reminiscent the good old days. It was a tune that he listened to often back in his youth and one he enjoyed a lot.

Even though it was given a modern remix, he still felt happy to be able to hear it again. The fact that it was coming from the younger members of his family made him especially proud. "They sure know how to make an old man proud!" the elderly gorilla said in his head as he nodded in approval.

For several minutes, the Kongs played the music, almost as if they didn't want to stop. The audience didn't seem to mind either, as they were mesmerized by the music and enjoyed it greatly.

* * *

After the concert was over, the zombies and the Mario Bros. decided to leave the island and catch up with Peach, who was waiting for them at Isle Delfino.

As the aforementioned folks were getting ready to leave the place, the Kong Family met them in front of the airplane. "It was nice knowing you girls!" Donkey said to them.

"I'm so glad to be able to see you perform before you leave!" Dixie said to them.

"You people are great performers as well!" Sakura said to them.

"Nah, we're nothing compared to you," Diddy said to them.

"I hope you a nice trip at Isle Delfino," Donkey said to the zombies.

"We'll be sure to send you photos of our time there!" Saki said to the Kongs.

"Take care, Donkey, and say good-a-bye to Cranky for me," Mario said to Donkey.

"I will, but sorry he didn't come here to see you off himself," Donkey said to him.

"Eet'z all right. I figured he wouldn't want to anyway, and that's-a understandable," said Mario.

"I'm sure he's still thankful for you saving this place," Donkey said to him. "Either way, thanks for the help! We couldn't have done it without you!"

"You did a lot of work yourself too!" Mario told him.

Both sides said good-bye to each other one last time, and then they all boarded the plane, which took off shortly afterwards. The Kongs continued to wave good-bye to them as the plane flew farther and farther into the sky until it was only a small dot in the distance.

"There they go! Let's wish them all a great trip!" said Diddy.

"Let's hope we meet each other again!" said Donkey.

* * *

As the plane flew through the sky, heading for Isle Delfino, the passengers aboard took their time to relax. The zombies especially needed rest after their previous performances. In fact, Lily had already fallen asleep, and Yuugiri covered his body with a blanket and petted him in the head.

Tae, too, also fell asleep, and Sakura smiled as she petted her and told her that she did a job well done.

Junko was sitting together with Yuugiri and Lily in the middle row. She intentionally chose a seat far from the window, as she feared looking out it. This was the best thing she could do in order to not have fear of plane rides, and even so, she still had feelings of nervousness. Yuugiri told her that everything was going to be all right, just like the previous flights.

While reclining on her chair, Ai noticed some travel pamphlets in the pouch of the chair in front of her. Wanting to kill time, she grabbed one of them and saw that it was about Isle Delfino. Knowing that they were heading there, she decided that this was the perfect opportunity to read up about this place.

Saki noticed what she was reading and so inched her head over to get a better look. "We're going to the beach, huh? Cool!" she commented.

"Come to think of it, we never went to the beach or even got into swimming activities ever since becoming zombies," said Ai.

"Can't be helped if water will wash away our makeups, so there's no place for us to take a dip," said Saki. "Looks like we'll get to go for a swim now! Can't wait!"

"But we don't have swimsuits..." Ai reminded her.

"I'm sure they sell them there," Saki told her.

Meanwhile, Luigi asked the flight attendant if she could turn on the flat screen TV on the wall at the front. The flight attendant nodded and then went to turn on the TV. The first thing that was shown on it was a movie footage of a plane crashing down in flames.

Everyone's eyes was on the TV, and Junko in particular had widened eyes of shock and a skin tone even paler than it already is. Without thinking twice, she let out a scream while grabbing her hair in terror. "YAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!"

* * *

Elsewhere inside a building that appeared to be the mansion of some rich person, several Toads were seen lying on the floor, all beaten up. The Koopalings were present in the room, standing around the unconscious people, implying that they were the ones who beat them up.

Bowser walked past the unconscious bodies and headed over to a set of silver gauntlets placed inside a glass box on top of an altar. Removing the glass box, Bowser picked up one of the gauntlets and put it on. The gauntlet magically grew in size so that that his hand could fit into it.

Looking at the gauntlet with glee while opening and closer his fingers, he said, "Only two more to go! Heheh!"

* * *

TO BE CONTINUED

Short chapter, I know... I'll make up for it in the next chapter, hopefully!

I didn't really have in mind what songs the idols were singing. I just imagined them to be singing new songs they created while back in their world. Fantastic Lovers was the only exception, obviously.

I couldn't find translated lyrics for Fantastic Lovers, so using the romanized lyrics was the best I could use. It's the last few lines of the song, mind you.

So yeah, the Donkey Kong arc is finally complete. Next up, let's have some relaxation in Isle Delfino!


	13. It's a Beach Episode

In case people are wondering about Justice of Two Worlds, consider that story to be on hold for the moment, though I am still trying my best to make progress. Seriously though, it's hard for me to get motivated on that story nowadays... But as promised, I will not abandon it and will finish it no matter how long it takes.

For now, please enjoy this story, as I am more interested in this at the moment.

**Chapter 13  
It's a Beach Episode**

* * *

After arriving safely at Isle Delfino, much to Junko's relief, the passengers headed into the airport, where they came across Peach and her servants. Approaching Mario and co., Peach said to them happily, "Mario! It's so good that you are able to make it here!"

"We had some... problems on DK Island, but everything turned out fine in da end," Mario told her.

"You'll never believe what-a happened..." Luigi told her.

Peach turned to the zombies and said to them, "Good of you to have found your friend! Now that you're here in Isle Delfino, I hope you take your time to enjoy! This place is one of the top vacation spots! I'm sure you'll enjoy it!"

"We're looking forward to having a fun time here, princess!" Sakura happily said to her.

"I'm sure you'll want to go to the beach, but I think we can save that for tomorrow, considering that it's already evening," said Peach. "We can go on a tour in Delfino Plaza, though. Feel free to buy whatever you want there and take a good look around!"

"Considering that we don't have swimsuits, we'll have to buy them before we can go to the beach," said Ai.

"I'm sure they have a lot of swimsuits on sell there," Peach told her.

* * *

No sooner after leaving the airport, the group headed over to the Delfino Plaza, Isle Delfino's main town. The zombies were also reunited with Romero, who was tagging along with Peach's group all this time.

Despite being evening, there was still a large amount of people walking around the place.

The population consisted of mainly dome-shaped creatures with palm trees growing out of their heads and humanoids that appear to be wearing seashells as clothes. The zombies learned from Mario that they are called Piantas and Noki respectively, and they take up most of the island's population.

"Feel free to enjoy to your heart's content!" Peach told the zombies. "Grab something to eat for dinner here too! We can go to the hotel whenever you're done having fun! You don't have to be in a rush!"

"Come! I'll show you around!" Mario said to the zombies.

"Sorry that you have to be our tour guide all the time..." Ai said to him.

Mario shook his head. "Eet'z all right. I've been here before, so eet makes sense for me to be guiding you around."

Mario, Luigi, and Toad then led the zombies around the place. They went to a market area that was filled with people, and at the sides of the road, there were several vendors selling all sorts of stuff, and they were calling out to people, telling them to check out their merchandises and buy them, not to mention offering discounts.

"There are lots of stuff! I don't know what to buy!" said Sakura while looking left and right.

"Better save up on cash and only buy what we need," Ai suggested to her. "Speaking of which, we should get ourselves swimsuits if we want to hit the beach."

"I'm sure they have a swimsuit store up-a ahead," said Mario while pointing towards the distance. "Let's-a go see."

They continued down the path to look for the swimsuit store. Along the way, the zombies attracted some attention. Some simply gave them a look before continuing on their path, while some looked with rather surprised expressions. The zombies noticed this, but they didn't give much thought about it. They were used to being seen without their makeups. The fact that this world had lots of unique-looking beings allowed them to blend in to an extent and even not be seen as freaks.

They went past a fruit vendor and saw a green Yoshi shopping there. Lily pointed at him and said, "Isn't that your friend Yoshi?"

Mario looked at said Yoshi, who heard what the young zombie said and so turned around to look at them. The plumber said, "Green is a common color among Yoshis, so he may not-a actually be da same..."

"Actually, I am your friend, Mario," Yoshi said to him, interrupting him. "I don't blame you for not recognizing me, though."

The others were surprised to hear this. "Yoshi! Didn't expect to see you here!" said Luigi.

"I didn't expect to run into Princess Peach too, though she told me that you guys were coming later," Yoshi said to them. "I'm here on vacation with some of my friends!"

Stretching out her hand to shake hands with Yoshi, Saki said to him, "Nice to meet you again!"

"Nice to see you girls again too!" Yoshi said to her happily. "I thought you went back to your world?"

"We came back here," Saki told him. 'This place is so awesome that we couldn't resist making a comeback!"

"That's good to hear! Let's have lots of fun here while we're at it!" Yoshi said to her.

The group continued making their way through the place, beholding the various things. They eventually came across a Pianta who was holding a stack of flyers and waving around one while telling people about an event that would happen at a certain location two days from now.

Intrigued, Mario went over to get one of the flyers from him and then took a good look at it. Luigi came over to see what it was all about. "Wet-O-Lympics? Da day afta tomorrow?" said Luigi curiously.

"And da winna will received coins and several otha gifts," said Mario. "Eet's every man for himself."

"What is it?" a curious Saki asked them. Mario explained to her what the Wet-O-Lympics was all about. Apparently, it was series of water-themed games and challenges, such as obstacle courses, an all-out water gun war, and more. After hearing Mario's explanation, a look of excitement appeared Saki's face. "Wow! Sounds fun! I'm remind of the gatalympics back in our world!"

"Gatalympics?" said Luigi curiously.

"It's a series of games and challenges all involving mud, like trying to swing as far as you can over a mud pool or riding a bike across it," Saki explained to the brothers. "You're guarantee to get all messy participating in it, which is what all the fun is about!"

"Sounds unhygienic..." commented Toad in disgust.

In response, Saki gave him a rather offended stare. "Hey, you better not talk bad about the fun and awesome things Saga has to offer! You haven't even tried something like that! How do you know if it's not fun?"

"So... are you interested in entering da Wet-O-Lympics?" Mario asked everyone. "You don't-a need any entry fee."

"I'm in!" said Saki enthusiastically, and then she turned to her friends. "C'mon! Let's all join it! It'll be great!"

"Sounds fun! Lily wants to join!" said Lily, raising her arm.

"Why not? It wouldn't hurt!" said Sakura.

"I think it will be interesting!" said Yuugiri.

Saki turned to Ai and Junko. "C'mon! Participate in it as well! This is a rare opportunity!"

"I'm not sure about this..." said Ai.

"If this is all done in water... then does that mean we wear swimsuits?" asked Junko as she blushed. "I'm afraid that... wearing such things while participating in such activities can lead to indecent exposures..."

"We hand out t-shirts and pants we made for the contestants," the Pianta distributing the flyer told her.

"That's a relief, at least," said Ai.

Saki looked at Junko. "Okay, problem solved! Want to join? If you've joined the gatalympics, then you should be joining this too!"

"In that case... I guess I'll give it a try, then..." said Junko.

"All right!" said Saki excitedly, and then she turned to the Pianta. "Where do we sign up?"

"I'll sign up for you," said the Pianta as he took out his smartphone and opened up an app designed for this purpose. "May I have your names please?"

All seven zombies signed up for the Wet-O-Lympics. The Mario Bros. and Toad also decided to participate. After the Pianta was done signing them up, he said, "All right! Please come to the entrance of Pinna Park two days from now at ten in the morning. We look forward to seeing you there!"

"Woohoo! I can't wait!" said Saki while shaking her fists in excitement.

"By the way, if you don't mind me asking... You girls sure have rather unique appearances..." the Pianta said to them.

Before he could keep on asking, Saki straightforwardly answered him. "We're zombies!"

The Pianta was silent as he stared at them with widened eyes. All those who heard her also stared at the zombies. The amount of stares Franchouchou was getting made some of them nervous. Mario then said, "Don't-a worry; they're good people! I've known them for some time already! They may be zombies, but they aren't infectious and not even dangerous! They're just like-a your everyday young girls! You can all relax!"

"Thinking about it, wasn't there a news from a month ago or so about zombie idols in the Mushroom Kingdom?" asked a random Noki. The others heard and began talking about this. Some of them had indeed heard about this news and even saw the performance Franchouchou held that time on TVs and the internet.

When they remembered this, some of them expressed delight in the zombies, saying how they loved their performances. However, some of them looked worried, wondering if the zombies were legitimately good and not trying to hide their true natures for devious reasons.

Hearing this, one person spoke up, "Don't worry; if those zombies ever show their true colors, you know what to do with them!" All eyes turned to that person, who was a tall, lanky man wearing a purple hat and black and purple overalls. He had a zigzagged mustache on his face, and on his hat was an upside-down L.

"Waluigi!" said Luigi in surprise when he saw that man.

The man referred to as Waluigi stepped forward out of the crowd and approached the zombies, and he gave them a stare that made some of them nervous. "You girls aren't trying to cook up anything devious, are you? I know too many scam tactics to tell that you may be up to no good!" he said to them.

Scared and nervous, Sakura raised her hands slightly and said, "No... No...! We're not bad zombies! We're good ones, and we don't bite and can't even infect other people!"

"Yeah! Don't go around accusing people of being evil!" Saki angrily said to him.

"Cut-a eet out, Waluigi!" Mario said to the man. "They are with me! I have known them for some time already, and I can assure you that-a they are good-a girls!"

"Right! Don't discriminate zombies, will you?!" Toad angrily said to him.

Waluigi turned to Mario and said, "Don't think I'm like other people, believing your words so easily!"

"You're only saying that because you can never perform betta than uz in various contests and games..." Luigi said to him.

Waluigi laughed at that comment. "Ha! You speak like I never improve! Just you wait! I'm going to show you that I've learned from my past losses and come out as the winner in the Wet-O-Lympics! Be prepared to be amazed at my performance there!" He turned back to the zombies. "You zombies joining it too? This is a mistake, because I'm gonna make you lose so badly that you'll be embarrassed about coming back to life and therefore return to your graves!"

"Is that a challenge?!" Saki angrily said to him. "Fine! I accept your challenge! I'll make you lose so badly that you'll want to go to your grave prematurely!"

"The fight is on, then! You just earned yourself a rival!" Waluigi said to him.

"Looks like we have a fierce competition to look forward to during the Wet-O-Lympics!" said the Pianta handing out the flyers. "I hope you folks are ready for it on that day!"

* * *

After they were done touring Isle Delfino, the group checked into Hotel Delfino.

Currently, the zombies were gathered together in one room, talking with each other. Even the largest room there couldn't accommodate all seven of them, so they had to divide into two rooms.

Sakura, Tae, Yuugiri, and Lily shared one room, while Saki, Junko, and Ai shared another one. They were all in the former four's room currently.

While Tae snoozed peacefully on one of the beds, they others were seated on the floor. The TV was also turned on, and Lily was watching on it a program called Toad Force V, which was about a robot Toad named Jack fighting crime together with his partner, Britney.

"Man, I can't wait until the day after tomorrow!" said Saki impatiently. "I'm so going to show that Waluigi bastard what I'm made of!" She then looked at her companions. "You lot better do your best and not make him laugh at us!"

"You just had to pick a fight with him, didn't you...?" Ai said to her with a disapproving look.

"He started it first," Saki reminded her.

"According to Sir Mario, Waluigi is known for using all sorts of underhanded tactics to get through competitions," said Yuugiri, reciting what they were told by Mario about that man.

"And he's good friend with Wario, apparently," added Ai.

"Underhanded or not, we're going to show him that we're not pushovers!" said Saki with determination.

"I'm worried..." said a rather scared Junko. "I don't know if I'll be able to perform well in the Wet-O-Lympics... I'm afraid I'll end up becoming a laughing stock..."

"You'll do fine, I know it!" Saki said to her.

"I'm sure it won't be that bad," said Sakura. "Let's try our best and win the hearts of everyone! They'll definitely change their opinion towards us even more!"

"Keep in mind that this is an every man for himself competition, which means we will have to be competing against each other as well," Ai reminded everyone.

"Doesn't mean we can't help each other from time to time," said Saki. "In the very least, let's work together to take down our rivals, and then we can compete among ourselves when we are the only ones left! May the best zombie win!"

Wanting to change topic, Sakura said while clasping her hands together, "How about we hit the beach tomorrow? We all bought swimsuits, and I can't wait to put them to use!"

"Great idea!" said Junko. "Even before I died, I haven't gone to the beach or even go swimming for quite a while! Feels like forever since I put on a swimsuit!"

"Thinking about it, not only is the first time we'll be putting on swimsuits after we became zombies, but it's also the first time we're showing so much skin in front of many people as zombies..." said Ai.

"And what's wrong with that? It's not like we're going to go out there wearing nothing!" Saki said to her.

"I believe Lady Ai is more concerned about how people will think of us after seeing our decayed bodies exposed to great extents," Yuugiri said to her.

"Nah, I'm not in the least worried," said Saki as she placed her hands on the back of her head. "I said this several times before. Even as zombies, I still think we all look hot! I'm sure everyone will be mesmerized by how sexy we look! Heheh!"

"I can say that I still have confidence in my body!" said Yuugiri while touching her face and smiling.

* * *

The next morning, as soon as they finished breakfast, Mario and co. wasted no time in heading over to the beach located right in front of Hotel Delfino. Said beach was called Sirena Beach.

Mario and Luigi were both dressed in red and green swimming trunks respectively that had white polka dots on them. Breathing in the salty ocean breeze, Mario said while stretching his arms, "Ah! Da smell of da sea! It really makes you feel like wanting to have fun! Da weatha today eez just-a right as well! Not-a too hot and not-a too cold!"

"I've seen to many ocean documentaries to know what sort of danger the sea possesses," said Luigi with a hint of nervousness. "So I think I'll just play in the sand and the shallow water..."

Eventually, the zombies arrived together at the place, and most of them had looks of excitements on their faces as they gazed at the sea.

Sakura wore a pink bikini with floral patterns.

Saki wore a light blue two piece swimsuit.

Ai wore a one-piece white and blue swimsuit.

Junko wore a white two-piece swimsuit with frills.

Yuugiri wore a dark green side-tie bikini.

Lily wore a pink two-piece swimsuit with the bottom being a pair of shorts.

Tae wore a purple one-piece swimsuit.

"Woohoo! It's the beach!" exclaimed Saki happily.

"Lily can't wait to have fun!" said Lily while jumping up and down happily.

"Let's go swim!" said Sakura with enthusiasm. Tae let out a cry that implied excitement. The former turned to her and asked, "Are you excited too, Tae?"

"Hope you girls have fun!" Mario said to them with a smile.

"You bet we will!" said Saki happily before rushing straight ahead with Sakura, Tae, and Lily.

The remaining three zombies watched those four having fun from where they were instead.

"I'm quite surprised you have no qualms wearing a two-piece," Ai said to Junko while observing her choice of swimwear. "I figured that because you're more of the shy type, you would try to cover up your body more, especially now that your body is like... a combination of several people's..."

"I posed for photographs in swimsuits like this like this when I was alive, so it's nothing new to me," Junko told her. "Furthermore, I don't actually have negative opinions about my current appearance any longer, so I'm perfectly fine with it!"

"For you, I guess..." Ai then held her wrapped her arms around her body a bit tightly while blushing. "Honestly saying, I'm still having a hard time getting used to letting other people see my body like this... which is why I chose a one-piece swimsuit to cover up myself as much as possible... I usually wore two-piece swimsuits when I was alive..."

"You don't have to force yourself if you don't want to," Junko told her. "I think you still look good regardless of what swimsuit you wear! Who knows? Maybe some boys will come over to you and ask if you have free time! Heehee!"

Ai blushed even more when she heard this. "Stop teasing me...!

While those two were talking about this, Yuugiri went on ahead to take a stroll around the place. As she was doing so, she noticed that most of the men in the area had their eyes fixated, completely mesmerized by her beauty. From her beautiful face to her well-endowed body with the right curves in all the right places, the courtesan was strikingly attractive, even for a corpse. Her choice of swimsuit helped emphasize her looks too.

"Dang...! I can't believe I'm feeling attracted to a zombie...!" said Luigi.

"Same here...!" said Toad with a nod.

Yuugiri noticed the attention she was receiving from them, and she seemed happy about it. Turning her head, which was slightly tilted, to them, she smiled and winked in a seductive manner. If there were any men whose eyes weren't hearts earlier, they were now. As if struck by cupids' arrows, some of them began falling over with large smiles on their faces, while some whistled loudly and happily at her.

Close by, Saki and Lily watched the scene going on. "Heheh! Look at all those guys! Falling head over heals for Yuugiri!" said Saki with a smile, as if feeling proud for the courtesan. "Proves that even if we are zombies, we're still super hot!"

She shifted her eyes to Lily and noticed that he not only had his eyes fixated on Yuugiri in a mesmerize manner, he was also blushing a bit. A smirk appeared on Saki's face as the blonde zombie said to him, "Oh ho! Is that your natural instinct kicking in I see?"

Lily blushed even more when he heard this, and then he said in annoyance to her, "I'm... I'm not! It's perfectly normal to be amazed at a woman's beauty! This doesn't mean you are in love with her!"

"Is it?" asked Saki with a smirk. Lily glared at him while pouting and blushing, which only made him look adorable.

Peach was also there, wearing a pink bikini. Her servants set up a beautifully embellished beach chair and a beach umbrella for her to relax on.

* * *

**BGM: Delfino Plaza (Super Mario Sunshine)**

For the majority of the day, the zombies had fun at the beach with Mario and co.

Toad built a sand castle in the likeliness of Peach's castle and felt proud about it. However, his creation failed to attract attention of any kind, as everyone was too busy being amazed at the ancient Japanese castle made of sand Tae had crafted, and it was taller than an average human adult.

Tae was standing next to her creation, her arms raised into the air while making cries that sounded triumphant. There was a "doorway" at the bottom in which Romero was currently lying down within as if the whole thing was a doghouse.

People were standing around the zombie's incredible sand creation, talking about it and taking pictures nonstop. They were amazed that something like this could even be made out of sand. Mario and Luigi, on the other hand, were surprised that how the supposedly mindless and feral Tae could even make something like this.

Tae's companions were amazed by this as well, though according to them, this wasn't the first time she displayed incredible artistic skills, as once when they were camping up on a snowy mountain, she built a tower out of snow that was as impressive as this.

Later, Saki found a crab scuttling along the sand. She picked it up and showed it to Sakura and even allowed the crustacean to punch her finger for fun, since she couldn't feel pain. However, the crab tore off her finger, causing her to drop the crustacean in shock. Holding her finger in its pincer, the crab ran off at a fast speed, and the zombie gave chase, shouting for it to give back her finger.

Elsewhere, some Piantas were doing the hula dance. Somehow, Ai and Junko ended up joining them. Onlookers cheered and clapped loudly for the two zombies, as their dance moves were, in their opinion, much better than the Piantas.

* * *

Yuugiri was reclining on a beach chair, while several men were standing not too far away, looking at her with mesmerized eyes and also taking pictures. She smiled at them and even struck poses to make them whistle in excitement loudly.

Then some guy dressed as a Pianta named Il Piantissimo walked up to her and hit on her. Yuugiri simply smiled and thanked him for the praises he was giving her, but when he made advancements on her by grabbing her hand and seemingly tried to force her on a date with him, she responded by slapping him across the face so hard that he fell to the sand.

Onlookers were stunned at first, but then they clapped their hands and cheered for her. They all hate that guy, apparently.

* * *

Yoshi took Lily for a ride in the water. The dinosaur paddled around with the young zombie riding on his back. Suddenly, a relatively large wave headed in their direction. The two were surprised and attempted to escape, but were too late, as the wave came crashing down on top of them.

Fortunately, they were simply washed back onto the shore with no harm. Yoshi sat up and coughed out some water and realized he was holding something in his hand. It turned out to be a swimsuit top.

An embarrassed Lily who had his arms wrapped around his bare top cried for him to give it back.

The dinosaur as he handed the top back to him. As Lily was putting it back on, Yoshi questioned why a boy like him would be so nervous about seen topless. Lily's twin ponytails shot into the air in shock, while her heart beat crazily fast in response to Yoshi somehow figuring out his actual sex.

**BGM Ends**

* * *

Some time later, the Mario Bros., Saki, Sakura, and Tae were seated at an outdoor bar, having ordered themselves some drinks. The Pianta chef was currently cooking the same crab that snatched off Saki's finger.

"How are you enjoying things so far?" Luigi asked the zombies.

"I'm having a blast!" Saki said to him.

"I don't think I've ever had so much fun at a beach before! What a great day today!" replied Sakura.

"That's-a good to hear!" said Mario happily. "Afta we have lunch, let's-a go to Pinna Park and have fun there!"

"You mean the amusement park on this island? Sounds great!" said Saki with enthusiasm.

"Yep! I'm sure you like that-a place!" Mario told her.

"Well, fancy seeing you folks here!" said someone. Said someone came over to them, and they saw that it was a familiar old man.

"Professa E. Gadd!" said Luigi in surprise.

"It's you, professor!" said Sakura.

"Good to know that you zombies came back here!" E. Gadd said to them. "Looks like my solution came to worth after all!"

"Thanks a bunch for allowing us to come back here!" Saki said to him. "You're the greatest!"

"Thank you very much, professor!" Sakura said to him.

"I'm glad that you girls are enjoying your time here!" E. Gadd said to them happily.

"Are you here on vacation?" Mario asked E. Gadd.

"Sort of, but I actually came here to help with some equipment they're going to use at the Wet-O-Lympics," replied the old man.

"You made stuff for it?" asked Luigi.

"You'll see for yourself!" E. Gadd told him. "I'm sure you're going to enjoy the Wet-O-Lympics!"

"I sure am looking forward to it!" said Saki with a large grin.

* * *

TO BE CONTINUED

Hope this lengthy chapter made up for the short chapter previously!

Toad Force V is pretty obscure reference. It comes from Mario Party Advance. I really went deep, didn't I?

And as promised in the prequel, Waluigi is here! Hope you look forward to his antics in the near future!


	14. Fun and Fair

I accidentally deleted this chapter and did not have a backup, so I had to type it from scratch. Because I rushed it out, it looks shorter than the original version, but even so, I believe I have all the important parts included.

Sorry for messing things up...

**Chapter 14  
Fun and Fair**

* * *

The next day, the zombies and the Mario Bros. arrived at Pinna Park, Isle Delfino's sole amusement park.

"Feel free to enjoy to your heart's content!" Peach told the zombies.

"Wow! It looks like a lot of fun!" said Sakura.

"Lily can't wait to have fun here!" said Lily.

"C'mon! Let's go and play right away!" said Saki with enthusiasm, and then they rushed on ahead together.

* * *

**BGM: Pinna Park (Super Mario Sunshine)**

The zombies came across a game stall where one shoots suction cup arrows using bows at targets. Ai tried her hand on it and proved to be a great archer when she was able to hit the center of most of them. Her friends applauded her, and she felt proud. She was rewarded a Blooper doll that she found cute.

Luigi came by and said that he could do just as good as her. He took aim at a target and fired an arrow. However, a shocked look appeared on his face, and then he placed the bow back down and ran off.

The Pianta running the stall yelled at him, as the former currently has a suction cup arrow stuck to his head.

* * *

Peach tried her hand on the high striker, and the zombies came by to take a look at what she was doing. The princess was having a hard time trying to lift the mallet so that she could hit the bottom of the tower and send the puck up to the bell.

She mustered her strength into picking it up, only to swing it sideways by accident and hit Junko hard in the side of her face, which shocked the onlookers.

Junko fell to the ground with her hands over her face, and her friends and Peach gathered around her in concern, the latter apologizing nonstop. When Junko removed her hands, they were horrified, as the zombie was missing her lower jaw entirely.

Junko was horrified to the point of tears to find her lower jaw missing, and her friends tried to comfort her while looking around for the missing body part.

Yoshi eventually showed up with an ice-cream cone in one hand and in the other hand Junko's lower jaw, which was partially covered in ice cream.

* * *

The zombies continued to play in various attractions, such as the merry-go-around, the Ferris wheel, the water slide, and more.

**BGM Ends**

They eventually took notice of the roller coaster track that seems to go throughout the entirety of the amusement park. "Let's ride the roller coaster!" said Saki, pointing at the track.

"Sure! It will be quite a thrill!" agreed Sakura.

"Is that safe?" asked Yuugiri.

"It's very safe," Lily told her. "It's very fun but also scary, but it'll be worth it!"

The zombies wasted no time in heading over to the roller coaster, and fortunately for them, they didn't have to wait long. They sat down in the carts, and the harnesses came down around them to keep them from flying off, obviously. Junko was beginning to have second thoughts about riding it.

"I can't wait for it to start moving!" said Saki with excitement, and a second later, the roller coaster began moving.

It started off slow, especially when it went up slope, but once it went down slope, speed picked up, and the cart soon traveled around the track at a fast speed. The passengers screamed out loud, some in fear and some in excitement.

Saki with having a blast riding it. Sakura and Ai were screaming in ways that couldn't tell whether they were scared or excited. Tae was screaming as well, though with an expressionless face. Junko was screaming in a terrified, as it reminded her of being inside a falling plane.

Lily, despite his young age, found it exciting. Yuugiri didn't scream, but she had a look of shock on her face the entire time.

Eventually, the roller coaster came back to the starting point and stopped, and everyone got down. "Man! That was awesome!" said Saki as she stretched her arms. "I want to ride it again!"

"Did you enjoy it, Yuugiri sis?" Lily asked the courtesan.

"I have to say... that was quite an experience...!" said Yuugiri, still trying to recover from the shock. "Never felt anything like this before..."

Sakura turned to Tae to ask her how she felt, only to find that her head was missing. "TAE'S HEAD IS MISSING!" she screamed.

This shocked everyone, especially those who don't know about the zombies' anatomies. "How did it fly off all of a sudden?!" asked Junko.

"Her body always fell apart more easily compared to ours..." said Ai.

The headless Tae stumbled around and almost fell, but Sakura caught her and said, "We have to find her head as soon as possible!"

"Where are we going to find it in such a large place like this?" asked Junko.

"Just look around first! It shouldn't have flown far!" said Saki. They then rushed off to look for the head, all the while apologizing to onlookers for spooking them.

* * *

The zombies ran around looking for the head, but didn't find it at all. They eventually came across Toad, who was eating an ice-cream. "Hey girls! Are you having fun?" he asked them.

"We did have fun, but then Tae lost her head while riding the roller coaster..." Saki told him while pointing at the headless zombie.

Toad looked at Tae in shock and said, "How did that happen?!"

"Have you seen a head anywhere?" Sakura asked him.

Toad thought a bit and said, "Now that I think of it, I think I saw something flying off the roller coaster a short while ago..."

As they were talking about this, a couple of Koopa Troopas walked past them. "That disembodied head in the haunted house sure is spooky!" said one.

"Yeah, it looks so real too!" said the other one.

When the zombies heard this, they told each other to go to the haunted house attraction right away. The rushed off, and Toad wished them luck in finding Tae's head.

* * *

The zombies arrived in front of the haunted house, and Sakura said, "Is it really in here?"

"The windows to this house are open, and the track does come near here at one point, so I think yes..." said Ai.

"C'mon! Let's go inside!" said Saki.

Saki, Sakura, Ai, and Tae went inside, while Junko and Lily decided to stay outside because they thought it would be scary. Yuugiri chose to stay outside to accompany them. The other four then went inside.

* * *

**BGM: Ghost House (New Super Mario Bros. U)**

The interior of the haunted house was dark, old, and dusty. There were fake plastic Boos hanging down from the ceiling via strings, and they were glowing too.

Sakura looked scared, but Saki and Ai weren't scared at all. "This is child's play..." said a bored Saki.

"Agreed..." said Ai with a nod.

When they walked past a wooden chest, it swung open, and a spring-loaded skull popped out, clattering its mouth nonstop. Sakura and Ai freaked out, despite the latter not looking scared at all previously.

Saki approached the skull and poked its forehead. "Ha! You'll have to try harder than that to scare me!"

They continued on and came across pair of Toads. The Toads jumped back in shock when they saw the zombies, and then they laughed. "Haha! They have actors dressed as zombies here too!" one of them said.

Sakura and Ai weren't sure what to say, but Saki grinned and then stretched out her arms at the Toads and made groaning sounds as if trying to attack them. The Toads pretended to be scared and cried for help, though they laughing for the most part.

One of them looked at Tae and said, "They even have a headless one here!"

"I wouldn't be surprised if the head in the dining room belongs to this one," said the other Toad.

The zombies were surprised to hear this. "Did you say a head in the dining room?" asked Sakura, and they nodded. The zombies thanked them before rushing on ahead, leaving those two confused.

They arrived at the dining room and saw Tae's disembodied head on the table, chewing the plastic bone of a fake chicken. "Tae! Found you at last!" said Sakura as she picked up the head, and she wasted no time in putting it back onto the body. "Thanks goodness you're all right!"

"Good thing we found her so soon!" said Ai happily. "Now let's get out of here... I don't really like it in here..."

"I want to explore a little more," said Saki as she walked around the place. She approached the doorway when suddenly a bed sheet ghost popped out from there and screamed at her, freaking her out.

Sakura and Ai were freaked out as well, but Tae, thinking a threat had appeared, pounced at the ghost, pinned it to the floor, and pummeled it rapidly in the face with her hands.

"Tae! Stop! It's just an actor!" Saki told the zombie while pulling her off the ghost. After Tae was removed, Saki removed the bed sheet to see if the person underneath was all right.

To her surprise, it was Waluigi underneath it, and he was pretty much unconscious from the beating he received.

**BGM Ends**

* * *

It was evening when the zombies reunited with the others and left the amusement park. "Did you enjoy your time here?" Mario asked them.

"We sure did!" said Sakura happily.

"Lily had a happy day today!" said Lily.

"Best time I've ever had!" said Saki.

"Let's hope you still have energy for the Wet-O-Lympics tomorrow," Toad said to them.

"Glad to know you enjoyed it!" said Peach happily. "Let's go and eat in a restaurant tonight!"

* * *

TO BE CONTINUED


	15. Wet-O-Lympics

Made a somewhat big change to Chapter 13. I changed the meeting time for the start of the Wet-O-Lympics to ten in the morning rather than two in the afternoon. It changed my mind to the former after a while, but forgot to edit the chapter before uploading it...

Also, I accidentally deleted chapter 14 and even lost the original file, so I had to retype it from scratch. The chapter is now shorter and less detailed because I don't want to waste time making it exactly like the original, but I think that as long as I got all the important stuff included, it should be fine. If you are a newcomer to this story and skipped out the original version, then I apologize for screwing up...

Anyway, let the games begin!

**Chapter 15  
Wet-O-Lympics**

* * *

That evening, Mario and co. were dining at restaurant. It was the tropical kind that only had a roof and no walls, thus exposing the customers to the scenery of the beach and the cool, night breeze.

They had more or less finished their meals, but rather than leaving right away, they decided to sit around and chat. While everyone else was doing this, Lily, Yuugiri, and Romero were right outside the restaurant, looking at an odd creature consisting of small, pink silhouette of a manta ray moving on the sand, and in the middle of the silhouette was a puddle of green and yellow slime that left behind a trail as the silhouette moved.

The three were both intrigued and confused by such a creature. The way it traveled along the bumpiness of the sand implied that it was nothing more than a manta ray-shaped light cast onto it, yet there was no light source creating this. The slime moving along in the center of the silhouette was also a mystery.

Steve Yoshwin, a red Yoshi wearing an explorer's hat, looked at them from the restaurant and said, "Careful, you don't want to touch the slime of a Phantamanta. It will give you a nasty electric shock!"

Back inside, the others were still chatting while eating up the last pieces of food when their attention was turned to a large television placed there. It was a special announcement regarding the Wet-O-Lympics tomorrow.

"Ladies and gentlemen, if you are participating in the Wet-O-Lympics tomorrow, then you better pay attention to this special program, as we will guide you through the things to expect in this super fun event!" said the Noki on the television.

"Cool!" said Saki with interest as she stood up from her chair and leaned towards the TV.

"Since we're participating, we should pay attention and see what eet haz to offa," suggested Mario, and Luigi and Toad nodded.

The Noki explained that it was series of water-based sport events and games that contestants will participate in. One of the events was a game of chicken, in which contestants compete against each other in driving a special cart towards an artificial cliff and see who stops last. The person farthest away would win, but he had to be careful not to fall off the edge and into the water below, as that would be considered a loss.

A look of excitement appeared on Saki's face as she said, "Wow! Brings back memories! I'm so looking forward to playing that!"

"You do remember that you died because of that, right..." Ai reminded her.

"Who cares? Nothing's stopping me from playing this again!" said Saki.

The next event was a fencing competition of sorts, in which contestants stood up rectangular platforms floating on water and try to knock each other down using fake rapiers.

After that was an obstacle course. A series of platforms and contraptions were set on a large pool of water, and contestants had to make their way one by one to the other end and not get knocked into the water by various harmless traps.

"We have something like this back in our world too," said Sakura when she saw this. "Saw it on TV a couple of times."

"Yeah! They were really crazy and fun!" said Lily, who had come back into the restaurant to watch the program.

Another event was a dancing competition, but the catch was that everyone would be dancing on small platforms floating on water, and said platform was prone to flipping over, so contestants had to maintain their balance for as long as possible while dancing.

"Heh! This is going to be easy for pro dancers like us!" said Saki with confidence, and then she turned to Ai. "I have a feeling you will have the easiest time with this."

"Maybe," said Ai with a shrug.

The Noki went through a couple more events, and the last one was a water gun battle where all the contestants run around a battlefield, trying to take down each other with special water guns until only one person was left. According to the Noki, people would definitely find this one the most fun.

"I can't wait!" Sakura with interest. "Looks like a lot fun!"

"I'm going to get first place for sure, so sorry beforehand that I'm gonna be beating you lot up just to get it!" Saki said to her companions with a "sinister" grin.

"Lily is ready to compete against you all!" Lily said to her companions.

"If it's a competition you want, then I'm ready to give it my all! Physical education was one of my best subjects in my school days! You better watch out!" said Sakura proudly.

"May the best girl win, then!" said Yuugiri, also sounding ready to treat her companions as rivals. Tae let out a cry, implying the same thing.

"Let's just hope we don't ruin our friendship because of this..." said a worried Junko.

"I doubt it will get that bad..." Ai told her.

The Noki then explained that 36 people were joining this, but they only need 16 people. Therefore, a race would be held at the beginning of the competition to determine who the 16 people are.

"A running contest to eliminate people? Theez eez gonna be intense..." said Luigi.

"I was a pro runner back in my school days, so I have confidence! You guys better start practicing, or else you will never beat me!" Toad said to them in a proud tone.

* * *

The next morning at ten, several people had arrived at the entrance of Pinna Park. Not only were the 36 people participating in it there, people who simply wanted to serve as audiences and staff members helping with the Wet-O-Lympics were there as well.

The participants were all wearing white t-shirts with a shine sprite and the text "Wet-O-Lympics" printed on them and a pair of dark blue shorts.

The mayor of the island, also a Pianta, who was standing in front of a podium, and before him were the 36 people participating in the competition. "Thank you so much for taking your time to come here!" the mayor said to them. "The Wet-O-Lympics is something we have been planning for a while, and this is the first time we are holding it!"

The mayor continued to talk about stuff such as the spirit of competition and how it was more important to have fun and not think about winning and such. Looking bored, Saki said to no one in particular, "Can we just get on with it already...? I hate it when they give lengthy and pointless speeches like this at the beginning of fun events..."

"I'm sure it'll be over soon," Sakura told her.

The mayor then told Professor E. Gadd to come up in front of everyone. The old man waved at the audience, and the mayor explained that he hired the professor to help create equipment and gadgets to be used for the Wet-O-Lympics.

"Smart-a move!" commented Luigi. He was the closest the person to E. Gadd, so he knew well how talented this professor is when it comes to inventing things.

"Without further ado, we shall began the Wet-O-Lympics!" said the mayor afterwards. "First off, we have a marathon used for determining the 16 participants who will progress on to the next level. Our staff members have prepared markings on the ground, which you are standing on right now, that will let you know where to run. If you run fast, you should be able to get to the goal in less than ten minutes. We don't want you to waste too much energy running, or else you might not be able to participate in the other events."

Everyone looked down and noticed red arrows pointed on the ground traveling in a certain direction.

A Noki then came forward with a party noisemaker in his hand. He told everyone to turn around and face where the arrows were pointing at and told them to get ready. Looks of eagerness and also nervousness appeared on their faces as they got to starting positions to began running.

"On your mark... Three, two, one... GO!" shouted the Noki as he pulled the noisemaker, making it pop and release confetti. In an instant, all the racers charged forward, some of them making war cries of sorts.

Peach was standing at the sidelines, watching them, and she cheered loudly for them. "You can do it! I believe in you!"

"Play safe, everyone!" cheered Toadsworth. Romero, who was standing next to him, barked cheerfully at his zombie masters.

The person up ahead was Il Piantissimo. The man dressed as a Pianta looked back smugly and said, "You have a long way before you can catch up with me!"

"Oh yeah? Think again!" replied a relatively large green Koopa Troopa. "They don't call me Koopa the Quick for nothing!" The turtle ran his hardest and was slowly catching up with that man, something quite surprising for his species.

However, those two soon found that they weren't as fast as they thought, as quite a few other people were slowly catching up to them, such as Mario, Toad, Yoshi, and Sakura.

Piantissimo noticed Mario and said, "Aha, my greatest rival! You think you can beat me? I will show you that I have improved since our last meeting!"

"We'll see about-a that!" Mario said to him with a smirk. Yoshi then ran past him.

"Sorry, Mario, but I'm going on ahead!" the dinosaur told him. He built up speed and gradually went past Piantissimo and Koopa the Quick.

"Oh no you don't!" said Koopa the Quick angrily as he built up speed.

The aforementioned people ran as fast as they could, not slowing down even a bit. "Wow! They're fast!" said Sakura as she ran her fastest. She looked back to see her companions running their fastest. Due to being zombies, they had the benefit of not wearing out easily, perhaps even at all, and combined with their lighter weight, they were able to run quite fast.

As they continued to run, people standing on the side of the road suddenly began splashing them with water, either through water balloons or buckets. Yoshi was caught by surprise and slowed down a bit, thus allowing the others to run past him.

"What the?!" said Toad in surprise.

"This is part of the game!" shouted a Noki at the side.

"I see, so they're intentionally hindering contestants and even letting othas get a winning chance," said Mario. He was getting soaked all over but not letting himself slowed down at all.

The racers endured the water being splashed onto them. Fortunately, nobody slipped because of the wet floor. The ground was rough, so slipping wasn't an issue. Even so, water getting onto their faces made them unable to see clearly, thus slowing down their running.

At the goal, a Lakitu with a camera was there, keeping watch of the runners, who were all approaching the place. He got his camera ready to record all those who arrived so that he could determine who the winners are. While waiting for them to arrive, he took out a piece of dried squid to eat.

Piantissimo, Koopa the Quick, and Mario were taking lead. The three pressed forward as much as they could, hoping to get first place, even though as long as they were the first 16, they were still considered winners.

Suddenly, Tae rushed past them at an incredible speed, much to their surprise. The Lakitu saw that the zombie was heading for him as if trying to attack him. Shocked, he tried to run, but Tae caught up to him, going past the finish line as she did so, and seemingly assaulted him. However, all she did was take his dried squid to eat.

Soon, the other racers crossed the finish line.

Sakura breathed heavily after stopping. Her companions then approached her, all of them breathing heavily as well. "That was a fast running speed!" Saki said to her. "Never realized you can run so fast!"

"I did say I was good at physical education back in my school days," Sakura reminded her, and then she look at Tae, who was still eating the dried squid she stole from the Lakitu. "Still can't beat Tae when she's excited about something, though..."

"Yeah, her physical capabilities can be shocking at times..." said Ai with a nod.

Soon, the results of the race was shown. The 16 participants who would go on to the next round were, in no particular order:

Mario, Yoshi, Toad, Luigi, Sakura, Saki, Ai, Junko, Yuugiri, Lily, Tae, Il Piantissimo, Koopa the Quick, Steve Yoshwin, Koopert, Waluigi

Looking at the large screen close by that showed the winners of this race, Luigi said to his friends, "Looks like we will be competing with each otha afta all."

"Hope you have no hard feelings," Toad said to him, and then he turned the zombies behind him. "Same goes for you girls!"

"Bring it! I won't be holding back just because we're friends!" Saki said to him.

"And I won't be holding back just because you're dead girls," said Waluigi as he came up to them.

Saki looked at him and said, "Yeah, I haven't forgotten about you yet! You're gonna wish that you never provoked me!"

"Like a dead body can even provoke me!" said Waluigi. "You'll wish you never came back from the dead!"

"And you'll wish that you are never alive! Heheh!" Saki said to him with an "evil" grin while cracking her fist.

* * *

Soon, the first true event of the Wet-O-Lympics was underway. The 16 contestants were taking to a large lake that had a 10-meter tall platform built at one side. The host Pianta explained to them, "For the first event, we will be competing in a game of chicken using these special karts built by Professor E. Gadd."

He pointed at some plastic go-karts that was notable for having no steering wheels but spring-powered pulling levers instead. The Pianta explained the rules of the event. Competitors would compete one on one, and the winners will move on to compete with winners of another set.

The winner will be determined by who come to a stop last, but if contestants fail to stop before they come to the edge of the platform and fall into the lake below, they would lose and the person that stopped would be the winner. Both contestants must move their karts. If you do not move but the other one moved but still fell off, it will be considered a tie, and a rematch will ensue.

Points will be determined by how far one travels, but falling off or not moving at all will result in no points.

The kart is operated by pulling the spring-powered levers. How fast and far one would move is dependent on how far the lever is pulled. One would have to determine how much he wants to pull in order to travel the most distance without falling off.

"I hope you understood everything," the host said to the contestants, and they all nodded in response. "All right, if you all understand the rule, then let's get started!" He then took out a piece of paper to look at. "First off, we have Saki Nikaidou and Koopert competing against each other!"

"Woohoo! I'm first!" said Saki happily as she stepped forward, shortly followed by a green Koopa Troopa.

The two contestants headed over to the wooden karts placed on the platform and sat down in them. Saki looked at Koopert and said to him, "I'm not going easy on you!"

"I have no intention of going easy on you too just because you're a girl and a zombie!" Koopert told her.

"May the best man win, and the worst man lose! Heheh!" Saki said to him.

From the sidelines, Sakura cheered for Saki, "You can do it, Saki! I believe in you!"

"You may end up competing against her, you know," Lily reminded her.

"Nothing wrong with cheering for a friend, regardless of things," replied Sakura.

The Pianta then told Saki and Koopert that they could begin pulling the levers of their karts. The two did so, and Saki pulled the lever all the way back without hesitation, while Koopert made sure to do calculations.

"On your mark... Get set... GO!" shouted the Pianta.

They both let go of their levers, and then Saki sped on ahead at a fast speed, going past Koopert instantly. In fact, she traveled so fast that she was showing no signs of stopping as she approached the edge of the platform. Onlookers watched with looks of surprise as she flew off the edge with her kart and fell into the lake below with a large splash.

Koopert, on the other hand, stopped a couple of meters in front of the edge. Knowing that he won, he raised his arms in triumph and shouted happily.

"And the winner is Koopert!" announced the Pianta.

Most the audiences cheered and clapped their hands for Koopert. Waluigi was laughing hysterically at Saki. The zombies, on the other hand, had unimpressed looks on their faces. "She never learns, does she...?" said Ai.

"Lily thinks she did that on purpose..." said Lily.

The wooden kart could float on water, so it was easily brought back onto dry land for the next set of contestants to use. Saki returned, dripping wet, to the others with a smile on her face. "That was awesome! It's great to relive old memories!" she said.

"You're not supposed to fall on purpose, you know..." Ai said to her.

"Yeah, I got carried away... Felt like reliving that thrilling sensation again... Heheh..." said Saki, looking a bit guilty.

* * *

**BGM: Moo Moo Farm (Mario Kart 64)**

The next two set of contestants were Mario and Koopa the Quick. Mario came to a stop right in front of the edge, to the point of almost falling over, but he didn't, so he won and got the max amount of points.

After that was Sakura and Piantissimo. The zombie didn't go far, but Piantissimo made it all the way to the edge, so much that his kart was on the verge of falling over. Thinking that he won, Piantissimo stood up on his seat and boasted in triumph, only for the kart to tip over into the water with a large splash a second later, taking him along. Sakura won as a result.

After that was Toad and Lily. The former went off the edge, shrieking at the top of his voice as he did so.

Luigi and Waluigi were next. Luigi gave Waluigi a death stare as they traveled alongside each other, but it became a sad stare when he stopped moving and Waluigi went on ahead and stopped just in front of the edge.

Steve and Yoshi were up next, and both fell off the edge together. When they had a rematch next, Steve fell off again, so Yoshi won.

Tae went up against Ai. The former pulled her lever all the way to the back and therefore traveled at max speed, flying off the edge. However, she jumped off her kart at the last moment and so didn't fall into the water. This still counted as a loss, though.

Junko went up against Yuugiri. The former was too scared to travel too fast and far, but the latter didn't hesitate too much. Yuugiri won in the end due to traveling farther and not falling off, while Junko only moved a couple of feet, much to her embarrassment.

The first set of contestants had finished, and it was now time to head over to the second set. The winners would now have to compete against each other, once again one on one.

Koopert was to compete with Mario. Mario once again reached the end of the platform and not fall off it, while Koopert didn't come that close to it, so he lost.

The next one was Sakura against Lily. Both the zombies traveled at fast speed towards the edge, and they came close to flying off it, only to come to a stop at the last second. It was hard to tell who was farther ahead, but a large screen nearby displayed the actual distance in feet, and it showed Lily was farther ahead than Sakura by 0.2 foot. The karts were installed with a mechanism that would allow the distance traveled to be displayed onto the screen.

Waluigi went up against Yoshi next, and the latter ended up flying off the edge, while Waluigi laughed at him.

Ai then went up against Yuugiri. The former won.

Mario and Lily competed against each other after that. They both came close to the edge, so much that it looked like they had a tie, but the screen showed that Mario was 0.5 foot farther ahead than Lily, so he won.

Waluigi and Ai were next. The former won, and he laughed at the bandaged zombie in a sinister manner when he did. Seeing his behavior made Saki angry.

**BGM Ends**

Finally, it was down to Mario and Waluigi. Everyone was cheering loudly for them, mostly Mario. "You can do it, Mario!" shouted Peach.

"Don't lose to him, bro!" shouted Luigi.

"You can beat him!" said Yoshi loudly.

"Teach him a lesson!" shouted Saki loudly.

Waluigi looked at Mario and asked, "Are you ready to lose?"

"You should be asking yourself that," replied Mario with a smirk.

They then pulled back their levers and waited for the countdown to end. When the countdown ended, they let go of their levers and sent their karts up ahead. They both traveled fast and seemed like they would fall off, but they both came to a stop at the edge. The front parts of their karts were sticking off the edge quite a bit, and it seemed like they would fall off.

Waluigi leaned back on his seat as much as he could to let his weight keep the kart on solid ground, and Mario did the same thing. Everyone looked intensely at those two, waiting to see who would fall first.

Mario's kart began to tilt over even more, and the plumber was panicking greatly by now. Thinking that Mario was done for, Waluigi stood up on his seat and pointed at him while laughing, but such an action proved to be a mistake, as it resulted in his kart falling off first. He screamed in terror as he and his kart took a large dip into the water below.

SPLASH!

Meanwhile, Mario pushed back on his seat as much as he could to keep the kart still, and it eventually stopped tilting forward and seemed like it wouldn't be falling off. The host then declared Mario the winner.

There was a large round of applause when the audience saw that Mario won. "HOORAY!"

As Mario returned to the other contestants, Luigi, Yoshi, Toad, and the zombies gathered around him to congratulate him. "Way to go, bro! I knew you can do it!" Luigi said to him.

"Ha! You sure taught that bastard a lesson!" said Saki happily.

"That was so close, but good thing you won!" Sakura said to him.

"Thanks for the praise!" Mario happily thanked them.

Because Mario was the last man standing, he had the most points. Those who lost in the first round still got a bit of points for their effort, so nobody was at zero point.

Waluigi came back to the other contestants, dripping wet all over. Saki looked at him smugly and said, "Enjoying your loss?"

"At least I didn't lose in the first round like you! That was plain pathetic!" said Waluigi while pointing at her with a smirk.

Hearing this made Saki frustrated, and she said, "Just you wait! I'll make sure to get my chance to compete against you and make you lose for sure!"

"Just don't go losing on purpose like you did earlier..." Ai told her.

"That wasn't on purpose!" claimed Saki.

"All right, that's it for the first event!" said the host. "Coming up next is the fencing event!"

* * *

TO BE CONTINUED

Saki has a thing for driving off cliffs, doesn't she?

Yes, Steve Yoshwin and Koopert are the same OCs from the previous installment. I brought them back to show that I don't really forget about OCs I made. Happy to see them again?


	16. Fence-O-Lympics

**Chapter 16  
Fence-O-Lympics**

* * *

The fencing event also took place on the same lake where the game of chicken took place. There was a rectangular piece of platform floating on the lake, and according to the host, contestants would face each other one on one on said platform, attacking with other with rapiers made of rubber with blunt tips, so it is a weapon that wouldn't cause injuries. Needless to say, the objective was to knock the opponent into the water in order to win.

"First up, we have Saki versus Junko!" said the host Pianta as he looked at a piece of paper showing the match-ups.

"Yeah! I'm first again!" said Saki excitedly while throwing her arms into the air.

Looking at the blonde zombie with a worried expression, Junko said, "I have to fight you...?"

Saki said to her, "No hard feelings, okay? This is just a game! No one's gonna get hurt!"

"I guess... Though I'm not sure about attacking a friend..." said an uneasy Junko.

The two girls were then handed rubber rapiers and then told to step onto a rowboat. A Noki rowed the boat over to the aforementioned platform, and then the two girls got onto it. The platform rocked a bit when their feet touched it, so they had to be careful not to fall off.

"Will they be all right?" asked a worried Sakura.

"Eet should be fine," Mario assured her. "I don't-a see how da weapons they're using can cause harm to each otha. Plus, you zombies should be able to take most attacks with no injuries."

"That's true..." said Sakura.

Saki swung around her rubber rapier, and then she looked at Junko, who was holding her rapier with both hands while trembling nervously. "No use being scared, so fight like a man!" Saki told her.

"I'm a girl!" Junko told her, looking annoyed.

"It's not literal, obviously..." Saki told her.

The Noki then got a whistle ready in his mouth. "On your mark... Get set... Fight!" He blew the whistle, and then the zombies could hear the onlookers cheering for them.

Saki grinned as she pointed her rapier at the nervous Junko. "How about I let you have the first move? Try your best in hitting me!"

Junko reminded herself that this was just a fun game and not a serious fight where someone would get hurt badly, so she pulled herself together and said, "All right! Here I come!"

Junko then ran at Saki while pulling back her rapier, but the wet surface of the platform caused her to almost lose her balance. She stopped in her tracks and struggled to maintain her footing while screaming. She eventually lost her balance and fell into the water.

Saki looked at her with an unimpressed and also disappointed look, while the Noki blew his whistle and declared Saki the winner. Junko emerged from the water and rested her hands on the platform with a look of embarrassment. Her spectacular failure made her want to disappear from everyone's sight.

"That was embarrassing..." commented Lily.

"I feel bad for her..." said Ai.

Waluigi was pointing at the white-haired zombie while laughing hysterically and saying insulting things about her.

As Saki and Junko were being ferried back to the mainland, the former said to Junko, "Geez, pull yourself together, will you...? I can't get a satisfying win like this!"

"Sorry..." said a still embarrassed Junko.

Junko's companions comforted her when she went back to them, and then the host announced that Koopa the Quick and Koopert were up next. The two Koopas were ferried to the platforms with their weapons ready.

Koopert said to Koopa the Quick, "I'm not holding back just because we're the same species! And you shouldn't hold back just because I'm smaller than you too! I have confidence in my abilities!'

"You're asking for it!" said Koopa the Quick with a "sinister" grin.

When they were told to begin, Koopert ran towards Koopa the Quick with his rapier pointing at him. The latter pointed his belly forward with his arms stretched out to the sides, and just like that, he was able to tank the incoming attack and make Koopert bounce back.

While Koopert was trying to maintain his balance, Koopa the Quick knocked him into the water with a single swing of his rapier. The latter was declared the winner.

After that was Sakura versus Ai. The two zombies were transported to the platform with their rubber rapiers. Eying Sakura, Ai said to her, "Give it your all, Sakura. Don't hold back for something like this!"

"You sound serious, so all right, I'm coming for you with everything I've got!" Sakura said to her.

Both sides then closed in on each other and clashed their rapiers. It appeared that they both were equally skilled in both offense and staying on the platform.

"Wow! They're good!" commented Saki in surprise.

"They're very serious about this!" commented Junko.

Sakura and Ai continued to trade hits, and the latter was eventually able to thrust Sakura in the body, pushing her back a bit. Quick as a flash, Ai swung her rapier hard at Sakura's arms, cutting them off, much to onlookers' horror.

Ai then swung at Sakura's neck, decapitating her and sending her head into the water. The headless body tried to balance itself onto the platform for a while before falling into the water.

"Winner is Ai!" declared the host.

The audience was shocked at what they saw. "Whoa man! Ai didn't hold back anything!" said Saki in surprise.

"Surprising, isn't it?" said Yuugiri.

Ai watched as Sakura's head floated facing the sky towards her. "You're mean, Ai..." said the disembodied head.

"Sorry, got too carried away..." said Ai sheepishly.

"It's all right. I still had a fun!" Sakura told her with a smile.

After Sakura as reassembled, the two girls were returned to dry land, and Toad and Lily were up next.

After being transported to the platform, Toad said to Lily, "I won't lose to you this time!"

"Nope, you're gonna lose to me again!" Lily said to him with confidence.

When the match began, Toad let out a war cry and ran at Lily to clash weapons with him. Toad struck fast and hard, much to the zombie's surprise. In fact, Lily found himself taking steps back as Toad kept on advancing towards him while attacking nonstop. Eventually, the young zombie was forced off the platform and fell into the water.

Toad raised his arms and cried in triumph, while Lily poked his head out of the water and grumbled, "I hate you..."

Mario and Steve were up next. It was a battle that ended relatively fast. Mario jumped over Steve, landed behind him and struck him from multiple times, not giving him the chance to fight back. Steve was eventually knocked into the water.

After that was Waluigi versus Luigi. When they got onto the platform, Waluigi said to the plumber in green, "How unfortunate of you come up against me again! Must be your unlucky day!"

"Won't-a know if I can win until I try," Luigi said to him.

"You know you'll lose!" Waluigi said to him with confidence.

When the match began, Waluigi charged at Luigi and swung his rapier mercilessly, and the latter was completely overwhelmed. Waluigi eventually disarmed Luigi of his rapier, and then the former poked him in the belly over and over until he was forced off the platform and into the water. The man with a purple hat laughed in triumph after that, obviously.

Luigi poked his head out of the water and said in a depressed tone, "I'm going to get-a dead last for sure..."

Yuugiri and Piantissimo were next. After Yuugiri and Piantissimo got onto the platform, the latter said to her, "Hey lady, how about you go easy on me and let me win? In return, I will treat you to whatever you want afterwards! I'm sure that's a great deal. After all, what beauty wouldn't want to go out with a stud like me!"

Yuugiri smiled and then began approaching him. "That sounds like a great offer!" Then with a swift movement, she thrust her rapier into Piantissimo's body hard, pushing him back to the edge of the platform so that he was on the verge of falling.

Yuugiri closed in on him while he was struggling to maintain balance and smacked him in the head with the rapier to knock him into the water. "But I'm afraid I'll have to decline," she said, finishing her previous line.

Yuugiri won, obviously, and after being transported back to the others, Sakura said to her, "Way to go, Yuugiri!"

"You're awesome, Sister Yuugiri!" said Lily. "You taught that creep a lesson!"

"I'm all too familiar with those kinds of people," said Yuugiri while thinking about her past life.

The last match of this set was Yoshi versus Tae. On the platform, Tae looked at her rapier with great curiosity and then began nibbling it. Seeing this, Yoshi also nibbled his rapier, but then said with a look of disgust, "Tastes bad..."

When the host told them to began, Yoshi looked at Tae, who was still busy nibbling her rapier. "So... how do you want to do this?" Yoshi asked her, and the latter looked up and stared at him while making zombie sounds. "Um... Yeah... You want to try hitting me?"

"Tae! Use that thing you're holding to beat him up!" Saki shouted at Tae. The latter turned to the blonde zombie for a few seconds before looking at Yoshi, and then she let out a loud cry before charging at Yoshi at an unexpectedly fast speed.

Yoshi was caught off guard and barely had time to raise his rapier in defense. Tae brought down her rapier like a bludgeon onto him over and over hard and completely overwhelmed the dinosaur. "Whoa! Slow down there! I can't catch up!" cried Yoshi while moving back.

Eventually, Yoshi was forced into the water. Tae didn't stop, however. Instead, she jumped into the water in front of the dinosaur and continued to beat him with her rapier. "Hey! Stop it! I already lost! Stop hitting me already!" cried Yoshi while desperately shielding himself with his hands.

"Tae! That's enough already!" Sakura shouted at the mindless zombie.

Even though Tae also fell into the water, she still won, as Yoshi was the one who fell first.

With that, the first set of match-ups were finished, so they moved on the next set, consisting of the previous winners facing each other. Saki and Koopa the Quick were up.

After getting onto to the platform, Koopa the Quick said to Saki, "I know well about you zombies! Your bodies break apart way too easily! I can just hit you until you're in pieces!"

"Stereotyping is fun, eh?" said Saki with a smirk while swinging around her rapier in the air. "If you think that makes us any easier to take down, then you're going to regret it!"

The match began, and Saki began to the first move by running at Koopa the Quick. The latter thrust his his rapier at her, but she jumped into the air and smacked him over the head with her rapier. While Koopa the Quick while was holding his head, Saki used her weapon to poke him in the face over and over.

Koopa the Quick moved back some steps before trying to fight back by rapidly jabbing with his rapier, but Saki moved back. The Koopa kept on closing in on her and eventually cornered her against the edge. Saki got close to him and ducked underneath his rapier thrusts and hit him hard in both legs, causing him to fall forward. While he was down, the zombie forcefully shoved him off the platform and into the water.

The host announced Saki the winner, and the zombie shouted with in triumph. "All right! A satisfying victory!" she exclaimed.

"Way to go, Saki!" Sakura happily said to her.

After that was Ai versus Toad. After getting onto the platform, Toad said to Ai, "You're going down just like your friend as well!"

"Quite a competitive spirit you have there," commented Ai.

"I like to win, you can say that!" said Toad. When the match began, the Toad let out a high-pitched cry as he charged forward. Ai stepped out of the way the last second, and he kept on running forward and found himself having a hard time stopping due to the relatively slippery floor.

He stopped at the edge and struggled to maintain his balance. Ai walked to him from below and poked him hard in the back of the head with her rapier and pushed him into the water.

"Yeah! You did it, Ai!" exclaimed Lily. "You showed him who's boss!"

Mario and Yuugiri came onto the platform next. When the match began, they started clashing their rapiers at each other with great intensity, so much that it was like a serious sword fight, and onlookers were amazed at how well they were performing.

"Wow! Look at them go!" said Yoshi.

"I can't tell who is going to win!" said Ai.

"You can do it, Sister Yuugiri!" cheered Lily loudly.

After much clashing of weapons, Mario was eventually able to disarm Yuugiri and then pointed his rapier at her neck. "Game over!" he said to her with a smirk.

"I see... Looks like I'll have to..." said Yuugiri, and then she smirked. Acting quick, she caught his rapier with both hands and yanked it off him to claim it for herself, and then she pointed it at him. "...turn the tables of this fight!"

"Mamamia!" exclaimed Mario in shock while raising his arms.

"Wow! What a move, Yuugiri!" exclaimed Saki.

"Isn't that a foul move...?" asked Junko.

Looking at the host, who hadn't said anything, Ai said, "I guess it's fine..."

Mario took steps back as Yuugiri inched towards him with the rapier pointing at his nose. Mario then smirked before performing a back flip towards the back end of the platform. He landed with such a force that the platform tilted into the air, catapulting Yuugiri into the air and falling into the water. Looking at the submerged Yuugiri, Mario said to her, "Too bad eet'z still game over for you!"

"Way to go, Mario!" Luigi said to Mario.

"Are you sure that's not a foul move of any kind...?" asked Koopert.

"Nothing wrong as long you nobody gets hurt badly," replied the host.

Waluigi and Tae were up next. The former pointed his rapier at her and said, "You're going down, zombie! I can tell you're the stupid one, which is the reason you're going to lose!"

"Don't let him win, Tae!" Saki shouted as the mindless zombie. "Beat him up the hardest you can!"

Tae looked at her fellow zombie for a few seconds before eyeing Waluigi. She raised her rapier into the air and let out a shout before running at him. Waluigi got into a defensive stance and began blocking each of the rapier swings she gave him. Waluigi originally thought it wouldn't be hard taking her down, but he was shocked by how hard she was striking with her rapier and couldn't find an opening to fight back.

"I won't lose to you!" he angrily said. He swung hard against her rapier to knock her off balance a bit, and then he thrust his rapier against her body over and over. "Take this!" To his surprise, Tae caught the tip of his rapier in her mouth. "What the?!"

Tae yanked his weapon away from him and spit it out to the side before closing in on him to smack him with her rapier over and over. Waluigi cried desperately while defending with his arms. Tae kept on closing in on him while bludgeoning nonstop with her rapier, and Waluigi kept on moving back until he finally fell off the edge. Tae was declared the winner.

"All right! You did it, Tae!" Sakura said to her.

"Yeah! You showed him who's boss!" exclaimed Saki.

"She's good!" commented Mario.

"Or maybe she's dangerous..." said Toad.

Waluigi stuck his head out of water and looked at Tae, who was crying in triumph, and angrily said, "Darn it! How can I lose to a zombie?! I'll get back at you next time!"

Up next was Saki going against Ai. The two zombies stood face to face on the platform, and the latter said to Ai, "So, Miss Iron Frill, are you ready to lose?"

"Look who's talking big!" replied Ai.

"Sounds like you're getting quite used to a life of violence! I like it!" said Saki as she got into a fighting stance. "Time to wipe that smug look off your face!"

"I can say the same to you!" said Ai as she readied herself as well.

The two zombies dashed at each other. When Ai thrust her rapier forward, Saki ducked underneath it and thrust hers against Ai's abdomen. Ai was pushed back as a result, and then Saki closed in on her and attacked nonstop with her weapon, and Ai found herself getting overwhelmed.

Acting fast, Ai ducked and then swung her rapier at Saki's legs, but to her surprise, Saki jumped back in time, and after landing, she dashed at Ai again and swung her at her head, decapitating her. The headless body of Ai desperately tried to balance itself before finally falling into the water.

Saki punched the air in triumph and said, "Haha! I win again!"

"You're awesome, Saki!" Lily called out to her.

"Is it really all right for you zombies to be losing your body parts so easily...?" asked Yoshi.

"It's perfectly normal for us," Sakura told him.

As Saki and Ai, who had reclaimed her head, got onto the rowboat to return to dry ground, the former said to the latter, "Nice moves! You're a lot better than I thought!"

"Still can't beat you, though," Ai said to her as she adjusted her head properly. "I guess this is given, considering the life you lived before you died."

Mario was up against Tae after that. Having seen Tae in action beforehand, Mario had a serious look on his face while in a fighting stance. "You did-a well to come all da way here, so I won't-a go easy on you!" Mario said to her. "I hope-a you can under-a-stand me!"

Tae let out a zombie cry, and remembering what she had to do at a time like this, the zombie charged Mario without a warning to attack with her rapier. Mario jumped into the air and over her, and he landed onto the platform so hard that it sank into the water a bit and bounced back up. This caused Tae to be thrown into the air and come falling back down on her front.

Mario turned around to look at Tae, who pushed her hands against the board to bounce back up. She thrust her leg backwards as she did so and unintentionally kicked Mario, causing him to take steps back until he was close to the edge. The plumber was still trying to maintain his balance when Tae turned around to look at him.

Tae let out a cry before charging at him and thrust her rapier forward. Mario was unable to do anything but get hit in the belly and fall back into the water.

"She beat Mario!" gasped Yoshi.

"Mamamia! I can't-a believe eet!" said Luigi in disbelief.

"Way to go, Tae!" exclaimed Sakura.

While Tae was crying in triumph, the host Pianta said, "That was incredible! Let's give it a round a applause for Tae for making it all the way to the finals! She will know go face to face against Saki in the final match of this event!"

Tae remained on the floating board as Saki got transported onto it. Looking at her fellow zombie with a smirk, Saki said, "So it's come down to this! Don't hold back against me, Tae, because I'm not holding back against you too! Come at me with all you've got!" Tae just stared at her in silence and also did nothing. "You hear me? Come at me as if I'm your enemy! We're supposed to be fighting each other now!"

Tae continued staring at Saki, and just as the latter was wondering whether or not she understood what she was told, the mindless zombie suddenly charged at the blonde zombie with crying out loud. "That's the spirit!" said Saki as she readied herself.

Saki stepped to the side when Tae charged at her and swung her rapier at her neck, decapitating her instantly. Tae's head fell to the board and rolled around but didn't fall into the water.

While the headless Tae stumbled, Saki went to pick up the head and then walked back to the body to give it back. "Here! Wouldn't be fun if you go down so fast," she said to Tae as she put the head back on. "I'd like to fight you a bit longer."

After having her head put back on, Tae assaulted Saki again. The latter had a smile on her face as she did her best to block her attacks and also fight back. The onlookers watched with nervously as the two dueled against each other. "I don't know who to root for!" said Sakura.

"Me too..." said Junko.

"Wow! Look at those two fight! I've never seen anything like this before!" exclaimed the host.

Soon, the two ended up locking their hands and pushing against each other with gritted teeth. Tae, having the superior strength, was slowly overcoming. Not willing to lose so easily, Saki mustered her strength to push back against Tae. "I won't lose, not even to a comrade!" said Saki before pulling back her head and then giving Tae a powerful headbutt that once again decapitated her. Tae's head flew back through the air and into the water. Saki then forcefully; shoved Tae off the side and into the water.

SPLASH!

The blonde zombie threw her arms into the air and shouted out loud in triumph. "DORAMI IS THE STRONGEST! YEEEEEEEEEAAAAAH!"

"Congratulations! Saki is the winner of the fencing event!" proclaimed the host while pointing at her. Onlookers cheered loudly for her and gave her a large round of applause.

"Congratulations on winning, Saki!" Sakura said to her.

"Very good!" said Mario while clapping his hands.

"Impressive!" said Yoshi while doing the same.

Waluigi, however, was not impressed. "Bah! What's there to be happy about if I didn't win?"

Saki and Tae returned to dry ground, and several people gathered around them, especially Saki. The former was getting praised nonstop, which made her feel proud.

"Next event after this is... obstacle course!" said the host.

* * *

TO BE CONTINUED


	17. Dance-O-Lympics

**Chapter 17  
Dance-O-Lympics**

* * *

The contestants were given time to have lunch first before continuing with the Wet-O-Lympics. After an hour of meal, they all returned to the same lake used for the previous events to continue with things.

Once everyone was there and ready, E. Gadd took out a remote control and pressed a button on it. Before everyone's eyes, massive objects began surfacing from the water. They consisted platforms of various sizes and shapes.

It was the obstacle course each of the contestants had to go through.

Starting from the beginning, one had to jump across platforms that bobbles up and down on water. At the other end, there was a rope one had to use to climb to the top of a slippery slope, and once at the top, one had to grab onto the bottom of a net "ceiling" and make it across a gap.

At the other side of said gap were multiple raised platforms one had to jump across, and there was a large spinning object in the center with a bar sticking outwards, so one had to be careful not to get hit by the pole when it comes in their direction by either jumping or ducking.

After crossing that particular area, there were two poles, one for the feet and the for the hands, used for crossing to the other side. While one carefully made his way to the other side using those bars, there was a wall before them that had water shooting out that would try to interfere with him and even push him off and into the water below.

After that was a walkway with several pendulums swinging left and right, and needless to say, one's goal is to run to the other end while avoiding those pendulums. Once at the end, one had to climb up a pole to get to the top and press a button to end the obstacle source.

Everyone was amazed at what they were looking at. "Wow! That looks like a lot of fun!" commented Saki.

"Lily saw this sort of thing on TV before!" commented Lily.

"I saw programs like this too! I can't believe I'm getting the chance to play in it!" said Sakura.

Turning to the contestants, E. Gadd said, "This is a proud creation of mine! I hope you all have fun and try your best making it through this obstacle course! Don't worry; it's perfectly safe! You have nothing to worry about!"

The host Pianta then explained the rules. Obviously, the goal was for each contestant to make it to the end of the obstacle course without falling off, in which case is considered a loss. Everyone has six minutes to make it to the end and press the button. If one does not make it to the end, either because of falling off or not making it in time, then scores will be determined by how far one traveled.

"All right, if everything is clear, then let us all proceed to the starting point! I will be calling out names of who will be going!" said the host. The contestants then made their way over to the starting point of the obstacle course.

Once there, Junko looked at the course before her rather nervously and said, "Looks intense... I don't know if I'm cut for this sort of thing..."

"You're always worrying about many things," Saki said to her. "Relax and have fun! They said it's perfectly safe!"

"Forgive me if I offend you in any way, Lady Junko, but do you not do workout often in your former life?" Yuugiri asked the white-haired zombie.

"I did yoga when I was alive, but it's true that for the most part, I don't do intense workout..." replied Junko.

"I guess that explains your reluctant attitude towards this..." commented Ai.

"First up is Junko!" said the host, which made that zombie shocked.

"What?! I'm first?!" she gasped.

Patting her in the back, Saki said, "You're on, fluffy! Do your best!"

"You can do it, Junko! I'm rooting for you!" Sakura said to her.

Junko nervously took her position at the starting point, right in front of first platform floating on the water. She looked up ahead and saw that she had to jump across these platforms without falling off and then get to the slope at the end and climb up it using the rope there. Though scared, the zombie told herself to be brave and do her best in order to not embarrass herself or her friends, who were rooting for her, even if they were competing against each other.

"On your mark... Get set... Go!" said the host loudly.

Junko immediately jumped onto the first platform, which rocked around and almost made her fall. Junko shrieked loudly while trying to maintain her balance, and then she jumped ahead onto the next platform, which rocked just as much. The zombie kept on screaming as she balanced herself while jumping from platform to platform.

Unfortunately, she didn't get far. She got to the middle part before finally losing her balance for good and taking a dip into the water. The host declared that she had lost and couldn't continue any further in this event.

"Haha! Loser!" laughed Waluigi while pointing at her.

Junko resurfaced and was blushing from head to toe at her spectacular failure. "I want to die for real..." she cried before sinking her head underwater partially to hide from onlookers.

Her friends looked disappointed and also felt bad for her. "Poor Junko..." said Sakura.

"Honestly, I never expected her to go far..." said Ai, "so I'm not surprised by this..."

**BGM Slide (Super Mario 64)**

Saki was up next. The blonde zombie did well in the first section, jumping from platform to platform without falling off and making it to the slope, in which she climbed to the top with no problem. After reaching the top, she had to grab onto the net ceiling from below and reach the other side.

It took a while, but she was able to make it there no problem. Next was jumping across platforms while avoiding the spinning bar. She jumped across some of the platforms with no problem, but when the bar moved in her direction, she attempted to jump over it. Unfortunately, she didn't jump high enough and got hit in the legs, which caused her to fall through the air and into the water below.

For friends felt disappointed, as they had high hopes for her for making it that far. Waluigi burst out into laughter seeing her lose, which offended them.

After that was Mario. The plumber, unsurprisingly, performed spectacularly. With swift movements and incredible jumping skills, he was able to blaze through the obstacle course as if he had been through it several times before. In no time, he made it to the climbing pole at the end and got to the button at the top to press it. It took him about four minutes to get to the end.

Audiences cheered loudly for him. Luigi, Yoshi, and Toad were especially happy for him. The zombies were in awe at how well he performed and felt glad for him. Waluigi was booing him, however.

Piantissimo was up next. Despite his annoying attitude, his performance was a great one. While not as flashy as Mario, he still had a lot of skills in making his way through the obstacle course and ultimately reaching the button to press it. He raised his arms and triumph and proclaimed that this was why he is the greatest.

Koopert was up next. He only made it to the net ceiling and failed because he failed to catch it when he jumped up to grab it.

Sakura was up next. She performed quite well, making it all the way to the tall platforms where one had to avoid the spinning bar. That was when her progress came to an end after getting hit by the bar when it moved towards her. Her friends groaned in disappointment.

Luigi was up next. He did unexpectedly well, making it past the aforementioned moving bar. However, his progress came to an end after that. While making way through the pole area, he was blasted by the water that shot out of the wall in front and sent into the lake below.

Yoshi was the next contestant. He was able to make it all the way to the water-shooting wall section. He was knocked off by a blast of water, but acting fast, he caught the lower pole with his tongue and reeled himself back up, only to be shot back down into the water again.

Yuugiri was up next. The courtesan made way to the rope ceiling section before losing her grip halfway and falling off.

Next was Lily. He made it farther than his fellow zombies, having arriving at the pendulum walkway. He was excited at the thought of being the first of the seven to get to the end, but his carelessness got him hit by a pendulum and sent flying into the water below.

Koopa the Quick was the next contestant, and he performed well, having made his way to the end, only to fail when he had problems trying to climb up the pole to get to the button in time. He stomped the floor hard while yelling frustration about how this wasn't fair, since his shell's weight hindered his climbing ability.

Ai went up next. She fared quite well, but ultimately lost in the water-shooting wall section when she got shot off by a blast of water.

Waluigi was another person with incredible performance that rivaled Mario's. The man with a purple hat sped through the place at a fast speed, avoiding any obstacles intended for knocking him off. In no time, he was able to get to the button at the end and press it. He shouted in triumph and proclaimed that he was going to the winner of the Wet-O-Lympics.

Steve was up next. He didn't get far at all. After hopping off the last platform at the beginning section, he lost his balance in front of the slope and fell back into the water.

Toad was next. He made it rather far, only to realize that this obstacle course had a design flaw. In the water-shooting wall section, the pole above for the hands to grab onto was out of his reach. Nevertheless, he jumped up and grabbed onto it and slowly shimmied his way to the other side while avoiding the water blasts. He ultimately lost his grip halfway through and fell, though.

**BGM Ends**

Finally, Tae was the only contestant left. Her friends were cheering for her to do her best loudly. "You can do it, Tae!" Sakura called out to her.

"C'mon! Make us proud!" Saki said to her.

When told to began, Tae jumped across the platforms at a fast speed and made it to the slope. To everyone's surprise, she ran up the slope on all fours without using the rope.

"How does she do that?!" asked Toad.

"She's always been this good on the physical side..." replied Ai.

The mindless zombie also made it across the net ceiling and then the tall platform section with ease. When she came to the water-shooting wall, she once again ran on all fours across the lower pole without grabbing onto the higher pole, and at the speed she was moving at, she was able to avoid getting shot by the water blasts. Everyone was amazed at how well she was performing.

She finally made it to the pendulum walkway. She was close to getting to the climbing pole at the end when she got hit by a pendulum. Her friends were disappointed that she lost when she was so close to the end, but then Mario pointed out. "Look! She's not-a out yet!"

Sure enough, Tae grabbed onto the pendulum when she got hit by it and swung back onto the walkway before continuing. "Way to go, Tae!" exclaimed Sakura.

The mindless zombie easily climbed up the pole and slammed her hand onto the button so hard that it actually got crushed. She then raised her arms and shouted in triumph. There was a large round of applause from almost everyone.

"WOW! SHE'S GREAT!"

"Awesome!"

"I've never seen anyone performing this well before!"

The host looked at the time she took to get to the end and was amazed that she made it to the end at a fast speed. "She made it in only about three minutes! That's the fastest of anyone! This is incredible!"

After Tae returned to the other contestants, her friends gathered around her happily. "Wow! That was an awesome performance, Tae! You totally rocked it!" Saki said to her.

"You're the best, Tae!" Lily said to her.

Sakura petted her. "You're awesome, Tae! I knew you could do it!"

With that, the obstacle course event was over.

* * *

The next event was dancing. According to the host Pianta, everyone would be placed on floating platforms and dance to a video that they would be shown. They were to balance as long as they could while pulling off dance moves, and falling off means losing.

Hearing this, Saki smirked, "This is going to be easy for us! We're idols, so dancing is as easy as breathing for us!"

"Still, we should not be too reckless," Yuugiri told her. "Surely they have ways of making it hard."

"Obviously, those platforms don't take well to people moving around on top of them," said Ai, looking a the 16 platforms scattered on the lake surface in front of a large screen.

"First, we will show you a small example of the music you will be dancing to so that you can take a bit of time to absorb things," said the host, and then he pointed at the screen. "Please a took at the screen over there."

Everyone turned to the screen, which turned on and showed the footage of a man with a blue afro dressed in a red coat and white trousers. He also wore shades.

"Hello everyone! I'm Jimmy T.!" said the man. "I heard you like to dance? Then you're in luck! If you like to know some cool music and pull off some awesome dance moves, then I will be your guide! Watch and see if you can catch up!"

Music then began playing. It was the theme Hammer Dance from Dance Dance Revolution: Mario Mix.

Cheerful and upbeat music began playing, and Jimmy began dancing. Everyone watched carefully as he pulled off quick and flashy movements, such as swinging his arms, spinning around, moving his legs at fast speeds, and even jumping.

"He's good!" commented Sakura.

"Those aren't really high-level dance moves, though," commented Ai, observing the video closely.

"Can we really pull off the same moves just watching once?" wondered Lily.

"Dancing eez what-a you do best, so I'm sure you girls will do just-a fine," Mario said to him.

"Hope you can do well too!" Saki said to him.

"Don't-a worry about-a me," Mario told her. "I have experience with dancing too!"

"Haha! You zombies out of luck!" said Waluigi as he turned to the zombies. "I dare say I'm the best dancer around here! If you think my long legs are simply for looks, then you've got another thing coming to you!"

"Oh, then you surely don't know anything about us!" Saki said to him. "We'll show you that we are more than just zombies!"

"You'll never be anything more than dead bodies that can't stay dead!" Waluigi said to her.

"You're going to eat those words!" Saki angrily said to him while pulling up her sleeves, but Sakura tried to stop her from engaging in violence.

After they were done watching the video, everyone was transported onto the platforms via rowboats. It took a couple of trips for the boat to get everyone onto the platforms.

The platform rocked around when they got onto it, so they had to properly balance themselves. "I don't think I can pull this off..." said Junko nervously as she struggled to stand up.

"To be fair, they don't move around as much as the ones used in the obstacle course," said Ai, who was next to her, while tapping her platform.

Once everyone had stood up properly, the host told them to pay attention to the screen. It turned on showed the same video from before. Hammer Dance soon began playing, and Jimmy also began dancing. The contestants then followed his dance moves.

To the idols, Jimmy's dance moves wasn't too hard to keep up with, but due to the fact they were standing on platforms that tilted around from their movements, they had to be extra careful.

Koopert fell off his platform only a few seconds after he began dancing. Some of the others noticed this but ignored him and paid attention of the screen. Eventually, Steve fell off his platform as well.

When Jimmy performed a spinning jump, the contestants did the same. Upon landing, Luigi lost his balance, and the tilting of the platform made him fall off.

As the dance went on, more and more people fell off. Even some of the zombies began falling off. Yuugiri was the first to slip off, followed by Lily, and then Saki.

Soon, it came down to Ai, Mario, and Waluigi being the only ones were still dancing. The video even repeated itself towards the end.

Looking at Ai, Waluigi said while dancing, "You have enough yet?"

"Don't underestimate an idol like me!" she said to him.

"That's da spirit!" Mario said to her.

The three continued to dance, doing moves such as spinning, jumping, kicking the air, and more. Mario's movements soon caused the platform to tilt around too much, thus resulting in him falling off. It was now down to Ai and Waluigi.

On the dry ground, everyone was rooting for those two to do their best. The zombies rooted for Ai loudly. "You can do it, Ai! I know you can!" Sakura shouted at her.

"Don't let that bastard win!" Saki called out to her.

"You must win, Sister Ai!" shouted Lily.

The two kept on dancing. Water also splashed up onto the platform, making it slippery. This caused Waluigi to slip a bit, and he struggled to maintain his balance, only to fall off in the end.

With that, the host declared Ai the winner. Ai finally stopped dancing and took a deep breath, and the audience gave her a large round of applause. Her friends cheered loudly in excitement.

"You did it!" exclaimed Sakura.

"All right! You beat that guy good!" said Saki.

"I knew you could do it!" said Junko happily.

"Wow! She sure danced well!" said Yoshi, clapping his hands.

"I expected no less from them afta seeing their performances!" said Mario with a smile as he clapped his hands.

Waluigi glared at her from the water and said, "You got lucky, punk!"

Ai looked at the audience clapping their hands for her, and in response, she smiled, baring her teeth, while holding a piece sign.

* * *

TO BE CONTINUED


	18. Wet-O-Lympics Finale

Since somebody asked, Justice of Two Worlds is about 80 percent of so finished. Yes, it's quite close to completion, yet I'm having a hard time trying to get to the end... Let's hope I finally get inspiration and motivation to finish it!

Sorry this took a while... I had quite a writer's block with this chapter, but I'm glad I managed to get it out! The length is also a reason it took a while.

**Chapter 18  
Wet-O-Lympics Finale**

* * *

There were some other events after the dancing, such as an aiming contest using a water gun, a stone skipping event, and bouncing as high as one could into a trampoline before falling into the water.

Eventually, the final contest was at an end. By this point, Mario had the most points. Behind him were Waluigi and Saki in that order. Asides from Saki, the other zombie who was the most points was Ai. Junko had the least points, much to her embarrassment.

"We are now entering the final event of the Wet-O-Lympics!" said the host Pianta. Hearing this, the audience clapped their hands and cheered loudly.

"I can't wait for it!" said Saki with enthusiasm.

"Me too!" said Sakura with a nod.

"As you may know already, it's going to be a water gun battle!" said the Pianta. "Each of you will be wearing special badges that will serve as your, in video game terms, health bar. Getting shot by water will decrease the health bar until it reaches zero, and then the harness's technology provided by Professor E. Gadd will automatically warp you out of the arena. Your objective is to simply be the last man standing!"

"Sounds like my kind of thing!" said Waluigi while rubbing his hands with glee. He was already thinking of ways to overcome his opponents.

"Definitely sounds fun!" said Saki, looking forward to things even more.

"We will be providing you with water guns, but so long as you are able to use water on your opponents in any way, it's all fair and square, as your badges react to water," continued the host. "Also, we will be casting lots to see who is the lucky person to wield the F.L.U.D.D.!"

Mario was surprised to hear this. "Da F.L.U.D.D.?!"

Hearing the plumber, Lily asked him, "What is that?"

Before Mario could explain, the host said, "The F.U.D.D. is a computerize water pack created by Professor E. Gadd. With it, you can perform various kinds of water-based tricks not possible otherwise with other things. It's built-in A.I. will also provide you with tips and tricks! With it, you're the ultimate water-based fighter!"

"Wow! I like the sound of that already!" said Saki.

"I used that before," said Mario. "Eet definitely eez very handy in various situations! I can imagine da people who wear eet will win with ease."

A Noki then approached the contestants with a box containing lots that would determine who would get to use the F.L.U.D.D. Mario was first, but when he took out a piece of paper, it was blank, which means he wouldn't get the F.L.U.D.D.

Luigi picked next, but he didn't get it as well. Sakura and then Saki came next, only to get the same results. When it was Ai's turn, she took out a piece of paper with a shine sprite printed on it. The Noki then loudly said, "Congratulations! You get to use the FL.U.D.D.!"

The bandaged zombie was surprised, and so were the other contestants. "Congratulations on Ai for getting the F.L.U.D.D.!" said the host Pianta while pointing at her, and the audience clapped their hands.

"Wow! Lucky you!" Saki said to Ai while placing her hand on the latter's shoulder. "You get to use the ultimate weapon for this event!"

"That's good, I guess..." said Ai.

Ai was then told to step forward, and then E. Gadd approached her with a mostly yellow water pack with a water nozzle attached to the top of it. There were a pair of handles on its sides and also a belt for strapping onto one's body. "Here you go!" the professor said to her.

"How does this work?" asked Ai as she observed the water pack.

"It'll teach you how by itself!" E. Gadd said to her, which confused her. "Let me help you put it on first." Ai turned around for him to strap the F.L.U.D.D. around her waist.

After being strapped onto the zombie, the nozzle began moving by itself, and then it spoke in a high-pitched computerized voice, much to her surprise. "Greetings, I am F.L.U.D.D., the Flash Liquidizer Ultra Dousing Device," it said. "I hope I can be of service to you."

"Um... It's a pleasure to meet you..." said an uneasy Ai while looking back at the nozzle.

"There is one more thing," said the host. "Because the person with access to F.L.U.D.D. has an advantage over other contestants, anyone who takes her down will receive the most points, so much that you can easily get first place by the end of the contest!"

When all the other contestants heard this, they turned their heads to Ai, some of them with "evil" smiles and sinister, glowing eyes. Hearing this and seeing the stares she was receiving sent chills down her spine.

"However, if she is able to survive until the end, she will get the most point as well!" added the host.

"That doesn't make things any more comforting..." said the bandaged zombie.

* * *

Soon afterwards, all the contestants found themselves wielding water guns and wearing badges in the shape of golden shine sprites on their shirts. The water guns were differently colored for each people, but they all had the same design resembling that of machine guns.

The badges were gold, but according to E. Gadd, they would change color when the owner gets hit by water and gradually change color until it became gray, which means one's health has been depleted, and then such a contestant would be warped out of the battlefield.

The badges also serves as cameras. At the audience area, there were a total of 16 screens that showed the audiences what each of the contestants were seeing through the badges.

They were also told that the water gun had various modes of firing, such as rapid fire or constant stream, and also different power levels that could be adjusted.

Pointing around her water gun, Saki said, "Heheh! Always thought how it would be if Dorami had access to guns!"

"You're scary at times, you know that...?" Junko said to her. Saki then pointed the gun at her, making her jump and shriek a bit.

"You better be scared, because I'll be coming for each one of ya!" said the blonde zombie with a smirk.

"Lily won't lose to you!" Lily said to Saki with confidence.

"Try your worst, Shrimpy!" Saki said to him.

"All right, now that everyone is ready," said the host, "we shall begin the final event! The battlefield will take place in the outskirts of Pianta Village. Hold on to your water guns, because you will be warped to to the battlefield and scattered all over the place! Good luck hunting down your opponents and taking them down!"

"Good luck, everyone!" said E. Gadd as he took out a remote control and pressed a button on it. The badges of the contestants let out bright golden flashes that engulfed them, and then they were all gone. Everyone then turned to the screen to see that they had turned on, showing different parts of the jungle outside Pianta Village from different point of views. Each screen represented each of the contestant's views.

* * *

Looking at the scenery around her, Ai saw various tall trees and also towering mushrooms. She could hear birds and insects crying all around her as well. "Is this place even safe for anyone to be in...?" she wondered.

Hearing her, the F.L.U.D.D. replied, "Because the Piantas travel in and out of their village, they had modernize the jungle somewhat so that there are lesser trees and contain places were travelers can rest. There are jungle rangers around the place keeping watch as well, so it is perfectly safe."

"That's good to hear," said Ai. "So... I better start going around shooting people?"

* * *

Saki was running through the jungle with her gun in her hand while looking left and right for opponents. Lily suddenly jumped out from a tree at the front and aimed at her. "Gotcha!" shouted the young zombie before firing from his water gun rapidly.

Saki leaped out of the water bullets' path and then fired from her own. "Missed me! Take this!"

Lily got shot a few times before running out of the way while continuing to shoot Saki. As the two traded shots with each other, Koopa the Quick and Koopert showed up at the scene while shooting each other. When the turtles saw those zombies, it became a four-way battle.

Looking around from the tree he was hiding behind, Luigi noticed those four shooting each other mercilessly with their water guns. "Eet'z so intense outta there... I don't-a think I can last-a long eef I go out..." he thought. "What-a should I do...? I have to come up with a strategy... Maybe eef I hide and wait for everyone to take-a themselves out, I can win? Eet'z basically winning by doing nothing... Maybe eef I stay still and do nothing, I can win... There are animals that remain calm in order to make themselves look hidden and avoid-a predators... Perhaps eet'll work eef I try that-a too..."

The plumber then took a deep breath before standing perfectly still behind the tree, hoping that no one would notice him. All the while, he heard the sounds of shouting and gunshots going on behind him, and they seem to be getting closer.

Eventually, Saki appeared in front of Luigi while shooting at people who were attacking her, but then the former noticed the latter and looked at him. Koopert, Koopa the Quick, and Lily showed up next to Saki as well, and all of them looked at Luigi, who was still standing perfectly still and doing nothing.

The aforementioned four kept on staring at the plumber, wondering why he wasn't responding at all. After several seconds of staring at him, they all pointed their water guns at him and fired nonstop mercilessly.

Because of the combined force of the water blasts and Luigi doing nothing, the plumber's badge was depleted in no time. A bright golden flash surrounded Luigi, and when it died down, he was gone. Luigi then found himself standing on a mattress located at where the audience and screens were, and he looked around in confusion. "What...? How did I get-a here?"

E. Gadd walked up to him and said, "You lost. Those four were ganging up on you, and you did nothing, so it was obvious your health would drop so fast. What were you doing just now? Doing absolutely nothing..."

Luigi let out a sigh. "I thought nobody would notice me or ignore me eef I don't do anything... Guess I wuz wrong..."

* * *

Junko walked around with great caution while holding her water gun close to her body. The zombie was nervous as she looked around, fearing that she would run into someone and getting overpowered by him or her.

"What do I do...? What do I do...?" she said over and over. "I'm sounding like Sakura just now..."

She suddenly heard the rustling of leaves and was shocked. Aiming with her gun, she looked around and asked in panic, "Who goes there?!" There was no response, however, though she kept on saying things. "Whoever you are, please don't scare me! Come out where I can see you so I... I... I can shoot you!"

Suddenly, Waluigi jumped out of the bush, and he looked different compared to before. Rather than wearing the Wet-O-Lympic t-shirt, he was bare chested and for some reason surprisingly buff. He also had a purple bandanna tied around his head. "Die, you zombie!" he said to her before opening fire from his water gun rapidly.

Junko screamed as she held up her gun for self-defense, but Waluigi was still able to shoot her in the body. The zombie turned to run while screaming, and she fell into a pit that was previously covered by leaves and branches. Waluigi looked down the pit and fired nonstop. Due to the lack of space down below, Junko had nowhere to run and was therefore pelted by water bullets nonstop, all the while crying for him to stop. Waluigi simply laughed as he kept on firing.

Eventually, Junko's badge turned gray, and the zombie was warped out of the place automatically and found herself at the audience area. Looking around in shock, she said, "Wha... What happened?!"

"Don't feel bad... We're not fit for something like this anyway..." said Luigi, who was next to her.

Back at the jungle, Waluigi laughed in triumph that he was able to take out someone. He had set up the pit with the intention of getting someone to fall into it so that he could take him out with ease, and it proved to be effective against Junko.

"Time for some new fresh meat to take down!" he said as he began looking for new opponents.

* * *

Elsewhere in the jungle, a rather intense war was going on. Piantissimo, Sakura, Yoshi, Toad, and Steve were engaged in quite a hectic battle. They were running all over the place and firing from their water guns at each other nonstop.

There was a faucet coming out of the ground nearby for them to refill their water guns. Yoshi ran up to it to fill up his water gun while nobody was watching, and he even filled his mouth with water until it was large and bloated. He turned around just in time to see Steve pointing his gun at his face. "Stick'em up!" said the latter.

Yoshi responded by spitting the water his stored in his mouth into his face.

Nearby, Toad was running around at a fast speed in circles around Sakura while shooting at her, and the zombie was getting shot nonstop while constantly miss trying to shoot him. "Haha! You can't hit me!" taunted Toad.

"Stay still!" said Sakura in frustration as she tried to get a clear shot. While getting shot, she looked at her badge and saw that it was getting closer and closer to the color gray. "Oh no!"

"Haha! You're going to lose soon! I'm going to have fun..." Before Toad could finish speaking, Tae pounced at him from the side without a warning, grabbed his head with her mouth, and thrashed him around like a dog mauling something. "YAAAAAAAAAAAA!"

Shocked, Sakura ran to Tae to get her to remove Toad. "Tae! You're not supposed to attack other contestants like that! Let go of him!" She forced the zombie's mouth open so that Toad could be removed, and then she asked him, "Are you all right?"

"Thanks..." replied Toad. He looked at Sakura for a few seconds before grinning evilly and firing water into her face. "Here's your reward! Hahaha!" His action led to Tae biting him again. "AUGH!"

Behind a tree close by, Ai was watching the chaos going on there. "Whoa... They really are invested in this..." she said to no one in particular. "I'm not sure what to do..."

"Watch out! There is someone approaching you from behind!" the F.L.U.D.D. told her.

Ai turned around in shock and saw that it was Yuugiri. "Oh, Yuugiri... It's just you."

"Lady Ai, what are you doing here?" asked the courtesan.

"Well, um... Trying to come up with a strategy of sorts..." replied the bandaged zombie.

"Perhaps we should work together to take down our enemies?" suggested Yuugiri.

"Um... Not that I object to this, but we're supposed to be on each other's throat at a time like this..." Ai reminded her.

Yuugiri smiled. "Even so, there are times when working together is the best choice. We can decide what course of action to take afterwards."

Ai thought about what she said. "You may have a point. Well, let's work together, then." Ai turned to the battle up ahead and continued thinking of what to do, unaware that Yuugiri was now sporting an evil grin on her face as she pointed her gun at her back.

However, the F.L.U.D.D. noticed this, and without a warning, fired a powerful blast of water into the courtesan's face, sending her backwards. Ai turned around in shock to see the dripping yet Yuugiri down on the ground and asked the F.L.U.D.D. why it did this. "She was trying to attack you," it replied.

"Yuugiri?! I thought you wanted to help me first?!" Ai asked her in disbelief.

"Deception and backstabbing are part of the strategy in the battlefield," said Yuugiri with a calm look while standing back up, and then she looked at Ai with a sinister expression. "I'm afraid we are not on the same side for now, Lady Ai." Without saying anything else, Yuugiri fired rapid burst of water bullets at Ai.

Acting fast, Ai stepped out of the way before running into the battlefield up ahead. When the contestants there saw her, Steve pointed out, "The F.L.U.D.D. user is here! If we take her down, we will get tons of points!"

"Then let's take her down together!" suggested Yoshi as he turned his aim to her.

"No! I'm taking her down myself!" said Toad before firing at Ai.

Realizing that everyone was targeting her at once, Ai panicked and began running around like crazy, though she still got shot a few times. "NOT FAIR!" she screamed.

"I suggested that you use the turbo nozzle to escape," the F.L.U.D.D. told her.

"I don't know what that is, but if it will help, then use it!" replied Ai in panic.

"As you wish," said the F.L.U.D.D. The sound of machinery could be heard coming from the nozzle, and then it released a powerful blast of water that caused Ai to be propelled forward at such a speed that her legs were having a hard time moving properly.

"WHOA!" she cried.

"Wow! Ai is running really fast!" Sakura said in surprise.

Steve kept on firing at Ai, only to miss. The latter turned to Steve and charged at him, seemingly unintentionally, and collided into him, knocking him back into the air. As if automatically, the F.L.U.D.D.'s nozzle turned to aim at Steve and fired a blast of water at him, hitting him while he was still airborne. Steve's health was low due to the shots he took beforehand, so when he was struck by the water blast, his badge finally turned gray. The Yoshi disappeared in a bright flash in midair.

"We have successfully taken out one opponent," the F.L.U.D.D. told her.

Ai was still panting from moving at fast speed. "That's... That's good to... hear..."

"'You're finished! Mwahaha!" said Toad in a sinister tone as he ran up to Ai to fire at her. Seeing this, Ai aimed the nozzle at him and fired, but the latter rolled out of the way and fired again, only to miss when the zombie ran away.

"I'm gonna get you!" said Yoshi as he ran towards Ai. She looked back and saw that Toad was coming after her as well.

Just as she was wondering what to do, the F.L.U.D.D. nozzle aimed straight down and fired a blast of water that propelled her into the air. Yoshi and Toad fired at the same time this happened with their gun adjusted to max power, and their shots ended up cancelling out each other.

They both looked up, and then the nozzle was aimed at Yoshi before firing straight into his face. The force of the water blast also pushed Ai back through the air while descending, and she was able to land on her feet.

"Ai! I'm sorry to say this, but your back is wide open for me to shoot you!" said Sakura, who was standing behind her, while getting ready to shoot her comrade. However, the F.L.U.D.D.'s nozzle aimed at the red-haired zombie and fired straight into her face. The force of the water was so strong that her head was knocked off the body. "YAAAAA!"

Meanwhile, Piantissimo approached Yuugiri and said, "You look as beautiful as ever soaking wet like that! Unfortunately, we are enemies here, so I have no choice but to take you down. How about we make a deal? If I beat you, I will be allowed to..." Before he could finish speaking, Yuugiri interrupted him by firing at max power into his face, pushing back and making him trip.

Before he could get up, Yuugiri approached him and fired mercilessly at his body, not giving him the chance to get up. Piantissimo's health was soon depleted, and so he got warped out of the battlefield. Like a cold, merciless killer, Yuugiri didn't say anything but turned to look at her other opponents with a serious expression.

Seeing that Sakura was trying to pick up her head, Yuugiri aimed at the red-haired zombie and said, "I'm sorry, Lady Sakura." She was going to shoot when suddenly she was struck from behind by a water balloon and almost fell over. She turned around and was met with several more water balloons to her face and body by Mario.

There were water balloons located around the place for contestants to make use of, and Mario got his hands on some of them. The plumber threw all his water balloons at Yuugiri before firing at max power at her, pushing her back. Just like that, Yuugiri's health was depleted, so she got warped away.

With a proud smirk, Mario turned to the other contestants, who had their attentions at him. "Who's next?" he asked. He heard a roar coming from the side and so turned to see Tae running towards him while firing from her gun. He jumped out of the way at a fast speed and then shot her.

The mindless zombie didn't bother dodging at all and kept on getting hit while trying to shoot Mario, who swiftly dodged each of her shots. Because of this, Tae received a large amount of damage, and no sooner, her health was depleted. "Too easy!" said Mario.

"Tae!" said Sakura, who had put her head back on, in shock. "Don't worry; I'll avenge you! Even though we're supposed to be..." She was interrupted by Ai blasting her with the F.L.U.D.D., which resulted in her defeat.

"Sorry about that, Sakura!" said Ai with a smirk.

"We're not done yet!" said Toad as he took out a water balloon and hurled it at Ai. The F.L.U.D.D.'s nozzle turned the incoming projectile and shot water at it to push it back to Toad. Toad was surprised by this but nevertheless dodged it. After dodging it, however, he was shot by Mario. As if that wasn't enough, Ai joined in on shooting him as well, and soon, Toad was eliminated.

* * *

Elsewhere, Koopa the Quick was running for life while soaked all over. His badge was almost gray as well. Stopping for a break while panting heavily, he said, "Man, that zombie sure is good... Took out that other Koopa and zombie by herself... Good thing I ran fast enough to avoid her. I better come up with some sort of strategy to take her down..."

Suddenly, Waluigi swung down from a vine and kicked him, knocking him on his back and disarming him. Waluigi stood on the fallen turtle's body and fired into his face while laughing like a psycho. Koopa the Quick was soon taken out, but because he dropped his water gun, the weapon was left behind even after he disappeared.

Waluigi picked up the turtle's water gun and said, "I'll be taking this if you don't mind! Wahaha!"

* * *

Back in the previous battlefield, Yoshi, Ai, and Mario continued to duke it out against each other. Yoshi was standing in front of a bush with his back against it while shooting rapidly. Unknown to him, Saki leaped out from among the bush and smashed a water balloon against the back of his head.

The dinosaur was on his last bit of health when he was hit, and so he was eliminated. Standing on where he originally was, Saki said, "All right, who's ready to die?"

Mario and Ai turned to her, and the former said, "I guess eet'z only da three of uz now."

"It's a battle to the death, then!" said Saki with an enthusiastic grin, and then she aimed and fired at Mario, who jumped out of the way.

Ai aimed at Saki and fired, but the latter ran away while shooting at her.

The three ran all over the place while firing constantly. Mario eventually ran out of ammo, so he hurried over to the nearby faucet to fill it up. While he was doing so, he saw Ai running towards him with her nozzle pointed at him. Mario was able to refill in the nick of time and fired at her fast, but Ai used the rocket nozzle to propel herself into the air to avoid it.

While in the air, she aimed the nozzle at Mario and fired straight into his face. Mario was knocked to the ground, and before he could get up, Saki fired at him nonstop. Mario struggled to get up while constantly receiving water to his face, and eventually, he was warped away.

"All right! It's just the two of us now!" said Saki as she looked at Ai.

"Then so be it!" said Ai.

"You look eager to take me down! Never thought you are the type for this sort of thing!" Saki said to her.

"I'm put my idol competition spirit into this!" Ai said to her.

* * *

Back at the audience area, the audiences and the losing contestants were watching the screens. There were only three still active, two of which belonged to Saki and Ai.

Mario had just reappeared at the place, and Luigi said to him, "Didn't fare so well theez time, eh?"

"You can say that," replied Mario, who was still smiling despite losing.

Looking at Saki and Ai's POV, Yuugiri said, "Looks like it's down to Lady Ai and Lady Saki."

"Ai! You can beat Saki! Beat her up for me!" shouted Lily while punching the air.

Mario looked at the screens and noticed the third screen. That POV of that one showed the person looking at Saki and Ai from among the trees. Luigi noticed this and asked, "Who eez that-a one?"

Mario looked at the contestants around himself and took mental note of who he saw. Putting this together, he concluded that the third screen belonged to only one possible person.

* * *

Saki and Ai traded shots against each other. Normally, Saki would have an easy time due to having experience in combat, but thanks to Ai having the superior equipment, the latter was able to keep up with her.

"Man, that water pack of yours sure makes you a tough opponent! Fitting for the final boss, eh?" commented Saki while shooting.

"Right, and it'll take a lot more than just skills to defeat m!" said Ai while having her F.L.U.D.D. do the same. Taking note of Saki's badge, Ai said to her, "Looks like you're not much on health."

"I can say the same to you!" said Saki while looking at the other zombie's badge.

"I won't lose to you!" said Ai as she took a running stance. Using the turbo nozzle, Ai rushed at Saki at a fast speed. The latter fired at her, but the Ai swiftly stepped to the side while still moving forward. Using this, she was able to rush up to Saki and swing her arm into her body as if attacking with a lariat.

Ai then aimed at Saki and shot her. Saki stood up while constantly getting shot and was pushed back towards the trees at the side. When Ai stopped shooting, Saki looked at her badge and saw that it was dangerously close to becoming gray. "Good one, but you'll have to do more than that to beat me!" she said to Ai.

Suddenly, Waluigi appeared from behind her while laughing, and Saki turned around in surprise, but before she could do anything, she was blasted in the face and body by the man's dual water guns. And so, the blonde zombie was eliminated and found herself among the losing contestants.

Ai was surprised by Waluigi's appearance and said, "I completely forgot about you!"

"I've been waiting for everyone else to take out each other, and now I'll take you out myself!" Waluigi said to her. "I'll show you what we do to zombies around here!" Ai noticed that he was topless and quite muscular, so she questioned him about this, he replied, "This is just a fake muscle suit I'm wearing. It makes me look manly and strong, doesn't it?"

Back at the audience area, Saki stomped the mattress she was on and said in anger, "Darn it! How can I be taken out by him?! Argh!"

"How does it feel to lose?" Lily said to her with a smug grin.

Ignoring Lily, Saki turned to the screen and shouted, "Get him, Ai! Don't let that bastard make fun of us zombies!"

The host Pianta said, "Looks like it's only Ai and Waluigi left! Let's see who will be the winner of this event!" The audience became excited and cheered loudly.

**BGM: Final Boss 2 (Wario World - Japanese Version)**

"Take this!" shouted Waluigi as he fired both guns at Ai.

Using the F.L.U.D.D.'s turbo nozzle, Ai boosted out of the way at a fast speed before aiming the nozzle at Waluigi and firing at him. He was unable to avoid the high speed water blast and was blown back. After coming to a stop, he stood up in anger and fired at Ai, only to miss when the zombie used the turbo nozzle to get out of the way again.

"Stop running and face me like man!" said Waluigi in frustration as he kept on firing, only to miss every time.

"If you say so!" said Ai as she turned to him approached him at a fast speed. She stopped in front of him and aimed with her nozzle before firing. However, Waluigi rolled out of the way in time before firing at Ai, hitting her a few times before she hurriedly escaped.

Both sides fired blasts of water at each other nonstop, though the shots missed most of the time due to them moving around often. While Ai was firing and dodging, the F.L.U.D.D. said to her, "I advice tackling him to the ground before firing at him."

"Sounds like a good idea!" said Ai. "Let's knock him down using the turbo nozzle, then!" She used said nozzle and boosted towards Waluigi, hoping to catch him by surprise and knock him to the ground. However, Waluigi acted quick and stepped out of the way before smacking a water balloon into her face. The zombie fell to the ground while tumbling forward a bit, and while she was down, Waluigi fired at her nonstop.

"Haha! You're finished!" he said.

But then F.L.U.D.D.'s nozzle sprayed at him, pushing him away. Waluigi angrily took out more water balloons to throw at her, but she got up and out of the way. When another one was thrown at her, she caught it, much to his surprise, and threw it back at him. Waluigi stepped out of its way, only to be be blasted by the F.L.U.D.D.'s water in the face.

All the while, the audiences and the losing contestants were watching the two battle through the screens. It was an intense match that had everyone at the edge of his or her seats. "You can do it, Ai! I know you can!" cheered Sakura.

"Don't you dare lose to that freak! Show him hell!" shouted Saki.

"You can do it, Sister Ai! You can do it!" cheered Lily while jumping nonstop. Tae was also cheering by making incomprehensible sounds and waving her arms in the air.

Ai and Waluigi continued to shoot water at each other, but suddenly, the former's F.L.U.D.D. stopped shooting. "Water supply has been depleted," it said.

"Ugh... At a time like this..." said Ai nervously.

"Waha! Too bad for you! I came prepared!" said Waluigi as he took out a water bottle and used it to fill up one of his water guns. "You want it? Too bad! I'm not sharing with ya!"

Ai ran from Waluigi as he fired at her. Using the last of the water supply in the F.L.U.D.D., Ai launched herself into the air and towards a surprised Waluigi. She landed behind him and, acting fast, grabbed one of his guns and yanked it out of his hand before firing at his face. She also took note of his badge and saw that it was slowly turning gray.

"Almost there!" she told herself.

Waluigi got out of the way and fired at her while angrily saying, "Why you?!"

Knowing that her health was dangerously low as well, Ai got out of the way. She made her way over to the faucet, and the a tube came out from the bottom of the F.L.U.D.D. and connected itself to the faucet. She turned on the faucet to allow water to fill up the pack, all the while shooting with her other hand.

Because she had to wait for the water supply to fill up, she couldn't get out of the way and had to endure Waluigi's shots. "Water refill is complete," the F.L.U.D.D. told her.

"Perfect!" said Ai.

"You're finished!" said Waluigi while firing at her.

Ai zoomed out of the way using the turbo nozzle and then sped towards him. Going past Waluigi, she grabbed him by the back of the neck, her speed causing him to fall onto the ground. She stopped and then pointed the water gun she took from him and also the F.L.U.D.D.'s nozzle at him. "Game over," she said with an "evil" smile, and then she fired from both weapons into his face.

Waluigi screamed as he received the water blasts to the face, and then he was warped away.

**BGM Ends**

Waluigi reappeared at the audience area, among the other losing contestants. "Ha! How'd you feel to lose now?" Saki said to him with a smug look.

He stood up and stomped the mattress angrily. "ARGH! HOW CAN I LOSE TO A ZOMBIE?!"

Suddenly, Ai was warped the place. She looked around rather confused and then saw the host saying, "Congratulations! Ai has won the water gun event!"

Immediately, the crowd went wild, cheering for her and clapping their hands.

"Congratulations, Ai! You're the best!" Sakura said to her.

"You're awesome, Sister Ai!" said Lily happily.

"Great job! I knew you could do it!" Saki said to her.

"Congratulations!" said Mario.

Seeing that everyone was cheering for her and congratulating her, Ai felt as if she had just finished an incredible performance. With a large smile on her face, she raised her arm into the air and waved at everyone while thanking them for their support.

"We did it, master," the F.L.U.D.D. said to her.

Looking at the nozzle, she happily said, "It's all thanks to you!"

* * *

TO BE CONTINUED

Congratulations to Ai for winning the water gun battle! Let's see who the winner of the Wet-O-Lympics is in the next chapter!

In case you don't know, the Japanese version of Wario World has a second phase for the final boss completely absent from the English version, and said second phase made the battle much more entertaining than the English version, which many people complained is too repetitive and also dragged out too long. That second phase also came with an awesome new theme which I used when Ai battled Waluigi!

Waluigi wearing a fake muscle suit is inspired by a Smash Bros. Brawl mod called Walurambo, where Waluigi is cosplaying as Rambo from the franchise of the same name.

And lastly, I'm not a fan of the Luigi wins by doing absolutely nothing meme, which is why he lost by doing nothing here.


	19. Winner!

**Chapter 19  
Winner!**

* * *

All the contestants of the Wet-O-Lympics were gathered in front of a stage, and the host and the mayor were on top of it. "We will now announce the top three winners of the Wet-O-Lympics," said the host while looking at a piece of paper. "Before that, I would like to let you know that you shouldn't feel bad if you didn't win. You will still receive gifts for your participation! There is always next time, so let's hope you perform better in the next Wet-O-Lympics!"

Waluigi rubbed his hands and said, "I performed very well, so I have confidence that I can win first place!"

The host looked at the paper again for a few seconds, and then he said, "First of all, third place goes to... Waluigi!"

Hearing this, Waluigi had a shocked look on his face. "What?! Third place?!"

"Eet'z very good already!" Mario said to him. "Getting third out of sixteen is something to boast-a about!"

"Argh! I was hoping for first place! Third place isn't enough!" said Waluigi in frustration. Nevertheless, he went onto the stage to receive his reward from the mayor, which consisted of a check with prize money on it and a bronze trophy of a shrine sprite on a cup.

"Congratulations on getting third place!" the mayor said to him as he handed both prizes to him.

"Yeah, I guess it's better than nothing..." said Waluigi with a sigh as he accepted his position. The two of them then posed together for people to take pictures of.

Waluigi then went to the back of the stage, while the host announced the second place winner. "Second place goes to... Mario!"

"Congratulations, Mario!" Luigi said to Mario while clapping his hands, and the latter's friends clapped their hands as well.

"Good going, Mario!" said Toad.

"Congratulations!" said Yoshi happily.

Mario thanked his friends before going on stage to receive his rewards, which was the same as Waluigi's, except the cash amount was higher and the trophy was silver. He then posed with the mayor for pictures to be taken.

Mario then moved to the back of the stage, while the host got ready to announce the first place winner. "And now for the first place..." He then paused for several seconds to build up tension, and contestants leaned forward nervously, hoping to hear their names.

"Please be me! Please be me!" said Koopert while trembling nervously.

"It's gotta be me! It's gotta be me!" Saki said in her head.

The host took a deep breath and then said out loud, "...GOES TO AI!"

All eyes turned to the bandaged zombie, who had a look of shock on her face when she heard it. A large round of applause and the sound of cheers filled the air when she was declared the winner. "WHAT?!" gasped Waluigi.

"Wow! Congratulations, Ai!" Sakura said to her happily.

"Sister Ai! You won!" Lily said to her.

"Congratulations, Lady Ai!" said Yuugiri.

"I'm surprised! I didn't think you would win first place!" Junko said to her.

Saki patted Ai in the back and said, "Heheh! You sure surprised me, but congratulations anyway!"

"Wow...! I didn't... expect it...!" said Ai.

"Eet must-a be becuz you won with da F.L.U.D.D. in da last event," Luigi reminded her. Indeed, the host had said if the F.L.U.D.D. user won, he or she would receive a large amount of points. Combined with Ai already scoring quite well previously, her winning the water gun battle with the water pack was obvious that it would make her the first place winner.

Ai walked up the stage and was congratulated by the mayor. "Congratulations on winning first place!"

"I'm honored!" said Ai happily as she shook his hand, and she was handed the reward money check and a golden trophy.

"I heard that you're a zombie, right?" the mayor asked her. Hearing this made Ai a bit nervous, though she gave as an answer. "Who has ever heard of a zombie winning a tournament? Congratulations on being the first ever! You've made history, young zombie! Must be good to come back to life, right?"

"You can say that...!" replied Ai with awkward smile.

Pictures were taken, and the crowd continued to cheer for her happily. Her friends clapped and cheered for her the loudest and also the happiest. Even though they didn't win any place, they were still happy that one of their own managed to win first place. They also obtained prizes in the form of bronze medals and bags of candy made of fruits.

* * *

That night, the zombies and Mario and co. were celebrating in a fancy restaurant. The former was seated together around a round table, and Saki raised her glass into the air and said, "Let's give it to Ai for winning first place in the Wet-O-Lympics!"

"Congratulations!" said the other zombies as their raised their glasses in Ai's direction.

Mario's side also came over to congratulate Ai. "Congratulations on winning first place!" Mario said to her.

"Yeah! I never thought you would be better than Mario!" Yoshi said to her.

"Thank you very much!" Ai happily said to them.

"C'mon! Let's eat until our heart's content!" said Saki happily. "We've earned lots of cash because of this, so let's go wild spending them! Yahoo!"

"Yeah! Let's eat!" said Yoshi happily. Tae also let out a cry that sounded rather cheerful.

Everyone sat back down properly to enjoy dinner. Yuugiri then said to Ai, "I hope you do not have any hard feelings about the competitive attitude we had against each other."

"Yeah, I think I might've been a bit mean to some of you trying to win..." said Sakura, sounding a bit guilty.

"It's all right," said Ai, not sounding mad at all. "It's not like our friendship is ruined because of this. So long as you all had fun, that's great! What's important is that we are still together as friends and even a family!"

"Lily will never let this happy family break apart, no matter what!" said Lily.

"We really are a happy family, huh?" said Junko.

"Heheh! Best family ever!" said Saki with a nod.

* * *

The next morning, after finishing breakfast, Mario and co. packed up their luggage to get ready to leave Isle Delfino and return to the Mushroom Kingdom.

As they left the hotel, hey were greeted by the hotel staff, who thanked them for staying at the place and wished them luck on their home. Mario and co. thanked them for their hospitality and promised to return again, and the staff members promised to make their experience even better next time.

When they exited the hotel to head for their tour bus to take them to the airport, they saw Yoshi and some of his Yoshi friends there. Waving at Mario, Yoshi said, "Good-bye, Mario! Good luck going back home!"

"You're not-a going home yet?" Mario asked him.

Yoshi shook his head. "We still have one more day here, and then we'll catch our plane back to Yoshi's Island."

"Well, hope-a you have fun here!" Mario said to him.

"Hope you have a safe trip home!" Sakura told the dinosaur.

"Same thing goes for you! I had a lot of fun with you girls!" Yoshi said to the zombies happily.

Suddenly, they heard someone shouting at them from a distance, so they turned to see that it was Waluigi. Shaking his fist at them, he said, "This isn't over, you zombies! I won't lose to you in whatever I do next time! Just you wait! You'll wish you never came back from the grave!"

"Dream on! You can never beat us! We'll come back from the grave over and over and make you lose worse each time!" Saki shouted back.

"What a sore loser..." commented an unimpressed Lily, and the others nodded in agreement.

Waluigi and Saki threw insults at each other a few more times before Sakura and Ai dragged her onto the tour bus. As the bus left, Waluigi continued to shout angrily at it, and Saki could be seen at the window, shouting back at him. The Yoshis ignored the man in purple's angry shouting and waved good-bye at the bus.

* * *

Hours later, Mario and co. were on Peach's plane, flying through the air to return to the Mushroom Kingdom.

While everyone was relaxing in the plane, some taking a snooze and some chatting with each other, there was an announcement from the pilot. "Due to bad weather going on currently at the Mushroom Kingdom, we have decided to delay our flight there," he said through the speaker.

"Bad weather?" said Junko nervously.

"Because of this, we will be taking a detour and head over to the closest airport and stay there until the weather at Mushroom Kingdom returns to normal," continued the pilot. "The place we will be heading to is Diamond City. Your majesty, is this all right with you?"

"What do we do, Your Highness?" Toadsworth asked Peach.

"If this is the case, then it cannot be helped," replied Peach. "If it is for the safety of everyone on board, then let us head over to Diamond City and stop there until it is safe to return to Mushroom Kingdom. Go and tell the pilots that we will land at Diamond City for the meantime."

"As you command, your highness," Toadsworth said to her with a bow before passing this message to a flight attendant, who in turn went to tell the pilots about this.

Peach then turned to the others and said to them, "I hope this didn't cause you any inconvenience."

"Eet'z all right-a, princess," Mario told her. "Our safety eez very important, so eef we have to land somewhere in da meantime, then we should do so."

"I agree... It's better to choose the safest option..." said a nervous Junko. Due to being a victim of a plane crash, the zombie was worried that that a plane disaster might happen, but Lily, who was sitting close to her, assured her that it would be fine, since they wouldn't be flying into a storm anymore.

"Diamond City... That's-a where Wario lives," said Mario.

"Oh, that guy," said Saki. "I wonder what he's up to."

"Maybe we can go see him while there?" suggested Sakura.

"Sounds like a good idea to me!" agreed Saki.

* * *

Diamond City is a city located on a tropical island out at sea, albeit rather close to a larger landmass.

The airplane, after several more minutes of flight, finally arrived at the island and landed on its main airport. The passengers stepped down from the plane and, after obtaining their luggage, stepped outside the airport to find a hotel to stay until they could return to the Mushroom Kingdom.

The tour bus carrying the passengers entered the main city, and they were able to get a good look at how the place looks like.

Diamond City was a bustling and rather high-tech city, yet it still maintained a tropical feel in that there were several palm trees dotting the place. Seagulls could be seen flying in the sky, and when one looked into the distance, they could see the edge of the island and ocean beyond it.

The population consisted of mainly humans and anthropomorphic animals.

The zombies noticed one particular skyscraper in the distance. It had a logo saying _WarioWare, Inc._ placed on one side of it.

"Look at that building!" pointed out Lily. "Is that Wario's company?"

Mario looked at the skyscraper and replied, "Eet eez. Rememba that-a Wario owns a video game company."

"Hard to believe that someone like him would own a seemingly rich and powerful company like that," said Ai.

"Why don't we go and pay him a visit?" suggested Peach. "I'm sure he's wiling to see you girls again!"

"Good idea!" said Saki with a nod, and then she asked her companions what they thought. They all agreed, and then Toadsworth told the bus driver to head to WarioWare's headquarters.

As the bus continued down the street, a motorcycle suddenly zoomed in from the side. It happened so suddenly that that neither side had time to react, and as a result, the bus crashed into the bike, knocking it over and sending its rider tumbling onto the pavement. Needless to say, this accident horrified all those who saw it, and some screamed loudly.

"OH NO!" gasped the driver with widened eyes.

"OH MY GOSH! THE BUS HIT SOMEONE!" gasped Peach.

"Mamamia!" cried Mario.

It goes without saying that Sakura had a flashback of the way she died, and the thought of it sent chills down her spine.

The bus driver rushed out of the bus to see if the rider was all right. Some of the passengers also stepped down to check on things. By now, bystanders outside had also gathered around the rider of the bike.

However, they were all surprised to see the rider still moving and even making sounds. When Mario and co. saw who it was, they were surprised. "Wario?!" gasped Mario.

Wario sat up while rubbing his head and then glared at the people around him, angrily saying, "All right, which fool has a death wish, crashing into me?!"

* * *

TO BE CONTINUED

Ai won first place! Let's give her a round of applause!

And thus we come to the end of the Mario Sunshine arc! Now we're entering the WarioWare arc! Hope you look forward to what fun things the zombies will get themselves involved in!


	20. No 1 Video Game Company, Supposedly

**Chapter 20  
No. 1 Video Game Company, Supposedly**

* * *

All eyes were on Wario as he stood up after getting hit by a bus while riding his motorcycle as if nothing had happened. Glaring at the bus driver, he angrily said to him, "You hit me, right? Where did you learn to drive?! I'm suing you for this!"

"I'm very sorry..." the bus driver, a human, said to him. However, Wario seemed to be bent on making the driver pay, and then Mario stepped forward.

"Just-a drop eet, Wario," he said to Wario. "You don't-a seem to be injured, and that's-a all that mattas."

Seeing Mario, a look of surprise appeared on his face. "Mario?! What are you doing here?! Who gave you the permission to come to my city?!"

"Yo! Nice to meet you again!" Saki said to him while raising an arm.

Wario looked at her and then the other zombies. "You again? What are you undead freaks doing here?"

"You don't seem happy to see us..." said Ai.

"To answer your question," Mario said to Wario, "we were on our way back to da Mushroom Kingdom from a trip, but becuz da weather there eezn't good at da moment, our plane decided to land here in da meantime."

"And we were just-a thinking of heading ova to your office," added Luigi.

Hearing this interested Wario somewhat. "Coming over to my office, eh? So long as you buy something, you're all the welcome! You will buy something, right?"

"Depends on if there is anything worth buying," said Toad.

"Of course there will be something worth buying! It's my company after all, and it always has something worth buying!" Wario told him. He went over to his bike and put it back up properly before getting onto it. "What are you waiting for? I'll lead the way!"

"Um... Didn't you want to do something about me hitting you...?" the bus driver asked him.

"Forget it! So long as you be a customer at my place, I'll overlook this!" Wario said to him.

The passengers of the bus looked at each other, surprised that Wario dropped this subject so easily. Nevertheless, they were at least glad that things didn't escalate. The fact that Wario had a body durable enough to survive something like this was fortunate.

They all got back onto the bus and then followed Wario on his bike as he sped towards his office.

* * *

The WarioWare HQ wasn't far from where they were, so it only took a few minutes of driving to arrive at the place.

After entering the building, Wario spread his arms around the place and said to the customers, "Welcome to WarioWare's Incorporated, THE greatest video game company in the universe!"

Mario and co. looked around to see posters and banners related to the company, most of them showing Wario himself in fancy clothing and making dynamic poses. There was even a statue of himself made of gold situated in the center of a fountain located in the middle of the area.

"Someone has a huge ego of himself..." commented Lily as he looked at the statue with an unimpressed look.

Junko, on the other hand, had a different opinion on the statue. "Wow! It's so beautiful!"

"Suddenly, I feel like wanting a statue dedicated to us!" said Saki while admiring the statue.

"Unfortunately, you can really only tour the first floor and the second floor," Wario told them. "All the other floors are off limits to outsiders, lest secrets of upcoming games get spoiled before their time comes."

"That is to be expected," said Ai.

"Feel free to check out the aforementioned places and buy any souvenirs you like!" Wario told them.

The group then spread out in different directions to look at different things, though the zombies remained close to each other. They approached the souvenir store to see if there was anything interesting there. There were, unsurprisingly, WarioWare video games on sale and also game consoles used for playing them.

Other than that, there were other merchandises in the form of shirts, cups, towels, and figurines of various people the zombies assume were either employees of the company.

"Is there anything in particular you like, Lady Lily?" Yuugiri asked Lily. "Do not be afraid to buy them!"

Lily looked at a mug with the picture of Wario's face and noticed the price tag. "Geez... This thing is expensive, and Lily can't say she's too familiar with this world's currency... That's saying a lot..."

"Yeah, eet'z really expensive..." said Luigi, who was at the same place, when he noticed the price tag of a towel. "In a normal store, you can easily buy two towels with a price like-a theez... But then, theez eez Wario we're talking about, so da price eez no surprise..."

As they continued to tour the place, a bespectacled girl with orange hair entered the place. When she noticed the zombies, she adjusted her glasses while taking a closer look at them. Saki noticed her behavior and notified her companions about this. The girl then rushed over to them, looking impatient, and asked, "Are... Are you people... by any chance... Franchouchou?!"

The zombies were surprised to hear this, and Sakura replied, "Yes... we are."

A look of pure excitement appeared on the girl's face immediately. "I knew it! You really are Franchouchou, the idol group consisting of real zombies! Wow! I can't believe you're here!"

"You know us?" Ai asked her.

The girl nodded. "Yes! I saw your performance at the Mushroom Kingdom on the internet about a month ago, and I absolutely love it! I can't believe I'm meeting you in person!"

"Always nice to meet a fan!" said Saki happily as she stretched out her hand to shake the girl's hand.

After shaking the zombie's hand, the girl looked at her own hand and said, "I'm never going to wash this hand again!"

"Not the first time I heard something like this..." commented Ai, as when she was alive and met with fans to shake hands and give them autographs, there were fan boys who said these after shaking her hand.

Wario came over to them and said to the girl, "What are you doing here, Penny? You should be at work!"

The girl referred to as Penny turned to Wario and asked, "Chairman Wario! It's Franchouchou! I can't believe it!"

"Yeah, I brought them here... just for you!" Wario told her.

"Really?" asked Sakura, but Wario ignored her.

"Thank you so much, Chairman Wario!" said Penny happily. "Can I please spend some time with them? I want to show them around!"

"You do know there are areas off-limits to visitors, right?" Wario reminded her.

"Can I at least show them my lab? Please! Please! Please!" Penny begged him.

Wario let out a frustrated growl and then said, "Fine... As long as you don't spill confidential information..."

* * *

Penny brought the zombies and the Mario Bros. over to her workroom. Peach and her servants didn't come along, including Romero, as pets weren't allowed in the building.

The workroom looked like a typical lab room, with pieces of machinery, gadgets, and computers all over the place. Despite the large amount of stuff in the room, it was quite tidy.

"Sorry if this place is a bit messy," Penny said to them.

"It's all right," Sakura told her while looking around. "It's quite clean actually."

"So theez eez where you work?" Mario asked her.

"Yes, and even brought over work from my lab back home here so that I can work on them as well," replied Penny.

"What's your job here?" Lily asked her.

"I help create peripherals used for playing games," replied Penny. "Chairman Wario is always looking for new, innovative ways to play games so that customers will always have new experiences. My grandpa and I gather ideas from various places and try to come up with new peripherals."

"You must be a genius to be able to invent such things at an age like this!" Saki said to her.

"Thanks for the praise!" said Penny happily, which also made her embarrassed. "I can't believe I'm being praised by an idol group! This makes me want to become an idol myself even more!"

"You're interested in becoming an idol too?" asked a curious Ai.

Penny nodded. "Yeah! The thought of singing and dancing on stage for people to see fills me with joy and excitement! I've had this dream since I was small!"

"Then why didn't you become one?" Saki asked her.

Penny scratched her face and said, "Well, admittedly, I also have a great passion for science and inventing stuff... It was really hard to pick which one I want. Plus, as much as I want to be an idol, I didn't think I have that much talent to become one... In the end, I decided to go with the route that I think I'm more suited for..."

Placing her hand on Penny's shoulder, Ai said to her, "Don't give up! I'm sure you can become better if you keep no pursuing that dream! You shouldn't let such failures bring you down. In fact, failures are what make us better. We learn from our mistakes and improve from it!"

Hearing Ai said that brought a huge smile to Sakura. She never had good luck in her life and gave up everything she did easily until she first saw Ai through an interview on TV. The latter said the same thing, and that was what inspired her to not give up and become an idol. Hearing Ai say it in person to someone who was aspiring to become an idol filled Sakura with joy.

Penny smiled and nod. "Thanks for the words of inspiration. Either way, I still haven't really given up my dream of becoming an idol yet, which is why I have been inventing things that I hope will help me fulfill that dream! For example..." She then turned to a table behind herself and searched through the various flasks there until she found one containing brown, bubbling liquid. "I've invented this, the Tonally Transformative Elixir!"

Looking at the strange liquid, Lily asked, "Is that... coke?"

"No, it's a potion I made that can alter the voices of people to become better-sounding!" explained Penny. "I made one before and tested on my grandpa, and it succeeded in giving him a wonderful voice! Only problem was that it also caused stomachaches, so I went back to work on it, hoping to fix this flaw. Here! Why don't you try it out?"

"Um... You sure it's safe to drink that...?" asked an unsure Junko.

"I'm sure, even though I haven't tested it yet," replied Penny. "You're zombies, so whatever side effect it has shouldn't hurt you, right? Why don't you try it out?"

"That's true, but still I don't think we're comfortable with just drinking something out of the blue..." Ai told her.

"Please do it for the sake of my future! I'm sure it will be of great help to my research!" Penny begged the bandaged zombie while handing her the flask.

"How about-a I try eet instead?" asked Mario. Hearing this, Penny immediately gave Mario the flask. He gave the liquid a whiff and sound that it was rather foul-smelling, but nevertheless, he took a deep breath before drinking it whole in one gulp. After swallowing it, he opened his mouth to speak, and his voice surprised many people.

"Whoa! Mario, your voice!" said Luigi.

Mario was surprised that he now had a perfectly feminine-sounding voice, so much that without looking, one would mistake him for a beautiful woman. "Mamamia! I can't-a believe eet! Eet really worked!"

"Dude! That kind of voice can make people fall in love with you!" Saki said to him.

Penny jumped up and down in excitement. "Hooray! It worked! But do you feel anything weird going on with your stomach?"

"Nothing so far," replied Mario.

"Sounds great so far!" Penny them took out another flask. "I have another one here! Anyone want to try it out too?"

"Lily wants to try it out!" said Lily while raising her arm, so Penny gave it to her. The young zombie drank the whole thing, and when he spoke, he shocked both himself and everyone else.

"Lily?! Your voice?!" said Sakura. "It's... It's..."

"WHY DID MY VOICE BECOME LIKE THIS?!" cried Lily in horror upon hearing that his voice had become incredibly deep and masculine-sounding.

Saki burst out into laughter while pointing at him. "HAHAHAHAHA! WHAT A HILARIOUS VOICE! You know who you sound like? Your dad! Hahahahaha!"

"THIS ISN'T FUNNY!" shouted Lily while flailing his arms in anger. "GIVE ME BACK MY CUTE VOICE!"

"Don't worry; it will change back after about thirty minutes," Penny told him. "I guess more improvements need to be made... Thanks for letting me know the results!"

* * *

Later, the group left the room to return to the lower floor. As they were heading for the elevator, they came across a black-haired girl wearing a red dress resembling that of a sorcerer's. Accompany her was a red devil-like creature that floated in the air.

The zombies gave the peculiar duo a glance, and the latter looked back at them as well. "Ashley! Do you know who they are? They're Franchouchou, the pop idol group consisting of real zombies!" Penny said to the girl. "Can you believe it? They're here in the flesh!"

The girl referred to as Ashely said nothing but simply stared at the zombies, and her eyes made them feel somewhat uneasy.

"Um... Hello... Nice to meet you...!" Sakura said to her, trying to sound nice.

"You have the scent of the dead," Ashley said to them. "What sorcery allowed for you to walk among the living?"

"Um... Excuse me...?" asked Sakura, who was a bit freaked out by the latter's tone and behavior.

"Oh, don't scare them, Ashley!" Penny said to the girl while shaking her by the shoulder. "They're guests here, so you shouldn't give them a bad impression!"

"That's how she is, so it can't be helped," said the devil-like creature, Red. "Being a witch, she's intrigued by supernatural stuff, so these zombies obviously caught her interest!"

"She's a... witch...?" said Junko in surprise.

"Yeah, and one of the finest ones there is!" said Red, sounding proud. "You better learn her name 'cause she's Ashley!"

"You haven't answered my question yet," Ashely said to Sakura. "How did you come back to the land of the living?"

"Um... We... We don't know..." replied a nervous Sakura. "The person who resurrected us... never told us his secret..."

"Is that so?" asked Ashley. "In that case, I will find out about it myself. I would like to request a piece of your skin."

Hearing this freaked out some of the zombies, and then Penny said to her, "I said don't scare our guests! Wario won't be happy!" She then turned to the zombies and said to them, "Sorry about Ashley... She's quite... unique..."

"I can see that..." said Ai, somewhat freaked out by the witch's behavior.

Mario and co. then continued on their way, while Ashley remained in place and kept on staring at the zombies with an unnerving stare. "Is... Is she one of the employees here?" a scared Junko asked Penny while looking back at the witch.

Penny nodded. "Yeah, she's in the graphic design department. Don't look at her like that; she's actually really good in making artworks! Her personality can be a bit unsettling, but don't worry; she's not a malicious person in any way!"

"She's a real witch?" asked Yuugiri.

"Yeah, when she's at home, she usually does things like brewing potions, doing magic spells, and such," replied Penny.

They group returned to the first floor, and they saw in front of the souvenir shop a table with a box saying _Lottery_ in front of it, and a woman with reddish-orange hair wearing a red dress were there, telling people to come play the lottery.

"Ooh! A lottery! I want to try it out!" said Sakura with interest.

When they went over there, the woman, Mona, said to them with a smile, "Hello! How are you? Would you like to try out the lottery? There are different things you may win! Try your luck! Just reach into this box and pick up a ball. It's free, though only one try per person."

"Don't mind eef I do!" said Mario in the feminine voice from before as he unrolled his sleeve before reaching into the box. He picked up a yellow ball with the letter W printed on it. Mona was a bit surprised to hear his voice, and Luigi explained to her the reasoning behind it, to which the woman nodded, as she was familiar with Penny's inventions.

"Congratulations!" said Mona. "You won a..." She reached underneath the table and pulled out a yellow hat with the letter W printed in front of it. "...Wario hat!"

Mario took the hat from her and said, "Thanks!"

Luigi looked at the hat with an unimpressed expression and asked him quietly, "You sure you're fine with this...?"

"Not like it can hurt people," replied Mario.

"I want to try next!" said Saki with interest as she reached into the box to pick up a ball, and she picked out a white ball with nothing on it.

"Sorry, you didn't get anything," Mona said to her, and then she gave her a piece of candy. "But you can have this as a consolation prize!"

"Gee, thanks..." said a rather unsatisfied Saki as she took the candy from her.

"I want to try it next!" said Sakura as she stepped forward to pick from the box. She took out a golden ball with the picture of a mustached and smiling bomb on it. "Gold? Can it be... I won top prize?"

Mona looked at the ball for a few seconds and then said, "Congratulations! You won yourself an entryway to the Golden WarioWare Tournament that is being held tomorrow!"

Looks of surprised appeared on all their faces when they heard this. "A tournament?!" said Sakura.

Mona nodded. "Yes, Chairman Wario has announced a tournament a couple of weeks ago. Participants will compete against each other in a series of video game challenges made by our company, and the winner will receive a large amount of cash as prize! However, the twist is that you obtain a spot in this tournament through lotteries that we have been holding this past two weeks. Our chairman said it wouldn't be fun if skilled players intentionally enter the tournament. Using this method, even people without actual skills in playing video games can still enter and try to prove themselves!"

"So... I'm now a participant in this tournament?" asked Sakura while looking at the golden ball.

"Yes! Please come to the Diamond City Stadium at one in the afternoon tomorrow!" Mona told her.

Patting Sakura on the shoulder, Saki said to her, "Whoa! You're really lucky, Sakura! This is your great chance to show the world your gaming skills!"

"I'm not really a gamer..." Sakura told her. "Not sure how I will fare..."

Saki then turned to the other zombies and convinced them to give it a try. Even though some of them weren't sure about participating in a video game tournament, they still gave the lottery a try anyway, hoping to win some other prizes instead. Luigi also gave it a try, but a purple and yellow overalls, AKA Wario's costume.

Ai won a scarf with a picture of Mona on it, Lily won a music box that played Ashley's Song, Tae won nothing and so got a candy as a consolation prize, and as for Junko and Yuugiri...

"Looks like the three of us will be entering this tournament," Sakura said to those two zombies, both of whom were looking at the golden balls they obtained from the box.

"I... I don't know... how I should feel..." said an unsure Junko. "Video games aren't really a thing when I was alive, and I don't think I've played any of them either..."

"I am unsure if I am suited for this sort of thing as well, as this thing you call video games are unheard of during my time," said Yuugiri.

"Then get practicing!" Saki told them. "You should be glad that you get to be on stage! Not like it's your first time..." She pointed at the games that were being sold at the store. "We'll just buy one of the games there for you to practice."

"I would highly recommend that," Mona told the zombies.

"We should be glad that we get to have this chance, so let's give it our best, Junko and Yuugiri!" Sakura said to her two companions.

Yuugiri decided to roll with it and hope that she would be able to get a hang of video gaming by then, while Junko continued to be nervous and worried that she would fail as badly as she did in the Wet-O-Lympics.

Also, it is worth noting that Lily said something in excitement when he won the music box, and his incredibly deep and masculine voice as a result of the Tonally Transformative Elixir surprised Mona, which made the zombie turn bright red with embarrassment.

* * *

TO BE CONTINUED

A video game contest with zombies as participants? Things are going to go crazy, which is what WarioWare microgames are all about!


	21. Game Girl

Sorry that this took a while... Had writer's block, but I'm glad it's resolved!

**Chapter 21  
Game Girl**

* * *

That night, at the hotel Mario and co. were staying at, Franchouchou were in their hotel room, enjoying themselves. However, for Sakura, Junko, and Yuugiri, they had to busy themselves with practicing for the Golden WarioWare Tournament tomorrow, and said practice consisted of playing games on a handheld device they bought from Wario's company.

Watching Junko play the various microgames on the handheld device, Sakura said to her, "You can do it! Be careful! Quick! Press the button now! Quick! Move to the side!"

Junko, not being used to video games, was having a hard time trying to catch up with the fast-paced actions going on in the game. It didn't take long for her to lose all her lives. Lowering the handheld device and letting out a sigh, she said, "I can't... I'm just not good at this sort of thing..."

Petting her in the back, Sakura said to her, "Don't worry; everyone has her first times. It's understandable for someone like you. Practice makes perfect!"

Junko then looked at Yuugiri and asked her, "Do you want to try it?"

"If it is for the sake of getting better, then I have no choice," said the courtesan as she took the handheld device from her. Sakura then moved over to her side to guide her.

"Okay, pay attention to the instructions, Yuugiri," Sakura said to her. "You press this and this, and..."

For several minutes, Yuugiri played the games, and using the instructions Sakura taught her, the courtesan was able to put up quite a performance, more so than Junko. The latter was amazed that she was doing a great job progressing through the game, even if she didn't have many lives left.

"Wow... You're good at this, Yuugiri!" Junko said in disbelief.

"I am surprised too!" said Sakura.

Yuugiri kept on playing, but as the difficulty increased, she was getting more and more overwhelmed until she finally lost all her lives. Taking a sigh, she said, "I did my best." She then looked at Sakura. "How did I do, Lady Sakura?"

"Wow! You did a lot better than I thought you would!" Sakura said in surprise. "I didn't expect someone from an era where TVs don't even exist to be able to play this well!"

When Junko heard this, she felt ashamed, as she was born in an era where TVs were a thing, and yet she couldn't get acquainted to using modern day appliances, but someone like Yuugiri could.

"I guess I have a talent for learning new things!" said Yuugiri, sounding a bit proud. She turned to Junko and noticed her embarrassed look. Wanting to comfort her, she said the white-haired zombie, "Don't worry, Lady Junko. Everyone has her own strengths, but so long as you practice it like how you practice your idol duties, I am sure you will improve as well!"

"Thanks, but I still feel like I shouldn't have played that lottery..." said a still embarrassed Junko. "It was bad enough that I made myself a laughing stock at the Wet-O-Lympics... I don't think I've ever felt so ashamed to go on stage before, and this coming from someone who made her living on one..."

"Don't be so down, will ya?" Saki, who heard everything, said to her. The yellow-haired zombie was watching TV while seated on the bed. "You have to take on everything with guts and determination! Like Yuugiri said, practice video games like you're practicing your idol stuff, and you will surely get better! When you get on stage to play for everyone, do it as if you are singing and dancing!"

"Right, Junko! Everyone here is rooting for you! We know you can do it!" Sakura said to Junko.

"Lily believes in you, Sister Junko!" Lily said to her.

"It will be all right! You can do it!" Ai said to her.

Seeing everyone rooting for her made Junko feel better, though there was still a bit of uneasiness. "Thank... Thank you all... I will try my best!" She then took the handheld device from Yuugiri to continue practicing.

* * *

On the afternoon of the next day, the Golden WarioWare Tournament had finally arrived. Several people had gathered at the Diamond City Stadium for this special event.

Mario and co. were all seated among the audiences, close to Peach, who was given a special seat due to being a royalty.

At the center of the field was a stage with TV screens and game controllers placed on tables, and at the back part of the stadium was a tower of sorts, and Wario could be seen seated at the balcony close to the top of it. Looking at the audience all around him, he said while rubbing his hands, "Look at all the people who paid money to come here! Heeheehee! This is indeed a great idea after all!"

Saki, Ai, Lily, and Tae were among the audiences, obviously, sitting close to Mario. "Don't you find this sort of setting for a video game company to be weird?" asked Lily. "I mean... playing underneath the bright sun can make it hard for the things on the screen to be seen... When they hold video game tournaments, they always do it indoors."

As soon as he finished saying this, everyone heard a loud sound similar to that of an engine. Looking up, they saw that a ceiling was starting to form from the sides of the stadium walls. The parts of the ceilings eventually converged at the center, turning the place pitch dark, but then a large amount of lights turned on to brighten the place.

"Good enough?" Ai asked Lily, and the latter nodded.

Seeing that the playing field was ready, Wario took out a microphone and spoke into it, "Welcome, everyone, to the Golden WarioWare Tournament! I hope you happily dished out your money to come here! I guarantee that you will not be wasting your money by coming here to see the tournament in person! To those who are watching this live at home, please don't be so stingy next time and instead fork over your money to come here! Trust me; the experience is much better!"

"That's a typical speech coming from him..." commented Luigi.

"So now, let us introduce the eight lucky contestants who will be participating in this tournament!" said Wario.

Spotlights shined at a door at the side of the stadium, and eight people came out of it, most of them waving happily and proudly at the cheering audience. "There they are!" said Lily excitedly as he pointed at the three familiar zombies among those people.

Other than Sakura, Junko, and Yuugiri, and the other five contestants consisted of a bespectacled chameleon in a yellow shirt named Francis; a bespectacled dog in a white shirt and red pants named Joe; a tall guy wearing 3D glasses and a green track suit named 18-Volt; a man with a yellow Afro wearing shades, a blue shirt, and white trousers named Jimmy P.; and Koopert.

The eight contestants stepped to the center of the area, in front of the tower, and waved at the audience, while the spotlight continued to focus on them. A large screen attached in front of the tower and on one side of the stadium also showed a close up view on them.

As Sakura was waving at the audiences, she noticed Peach sitting on her special throne-like seat, waving at them, and through that, she was able to notice her fellow idols close by. She told Junko, "I can see our friends over there!" Junko looked at where Sakura was pointing and waved at them as well.

Looking at her friends there, Saki shouted, "You can do it! Give it your best! Show them your undead power!"

"I think I can hear them rooting for us," Sakura said to Junko and Yuugiri. "Let's try our best and not let them down!"

"I'll try my best. I practiced all night yesterday!" said Junko, sounding more confident than before.

"These eight people are the lucky winners of my company's lottery!" said Wario. "Because of this, they may or may not have actual video gaming skills. Where's the fun if you only watch pros duke it out with each other? Wouldn't it be more fun to see newbies duke it out as well? I'm sure they will be able to learn a thing or two about video games after this and become pro gamers in the future! Let's all give them another round of applause to liven up their spirits!"

The crowd cheered for the contestants again, and after they were done, Wario told everyone to be quiet before beginning to explain the rules. "All right, let's get the rules down with. You eight contestants will be competing against each other one on one, and the winner will go on to compete against each other in the same manner!"

"Just like the Wet-O-Lympics," pointed out Yuugiri.

"The games you will be playing is different all the time. You will never know what you're going to be playing, so bad luck for you if you get a game genre you're bad at! Wahaha!" continued Wario.

Hearing this, Francis adjusted his eyeglasses and said with a confident smile, "No game genre is too hard for me! I've been waiting for this day to come! When I heard about this contest, I grabbed every chance with every single lottery here every day until I finally won an admittance! Now that I'm here..." He then pointed at the other contestants and said, "...I'm going to beat the heck out of all of you!"

Most of the contestants looked at him with unimpressed looks, but some, like Junko and Joe, looked a bit nervous.

Francis then looked at the three zombies and rushed up to them, much to their surprises. "By the way, it's an honor to meet you, Franchouchou!" he happily said to them. "I've saw your performance at the Mushroom Kingdom about a month ago and completely fell in love with you at first sight! When you revealed yourself as zombies, I was shocked and then realized that this is even better! I've known the fandom of zombie waifu for a long time and admit that undead women can be cute if drawn correctly, but never would I thought I would actually run into real life zombie waifu that look as attractive as they do in pictures!"

The three zombies were freaked out by his personality, but Sakura, wanting to leave behind a good impression said to him with a smile, "We're glad that you loved our performance! We hope to see you more in our future concerts!"

Francis then threw his arms into the air and exclaimed, "Yes! A zombie idol talked to me and even invited me to her concert! This is the greatest day of my life! Just you wait! i will win first prize in this contest and then use the cash money to buy all your goodies!"

Even from the audience area, Ai could hear what Francis was saying, and she was all too familiar with that kind of person. "That's what a call a hardcore fan boy..." she said.

"Ever met someone like that when you were with Iron Frill?" Saki asked her, and the latter nodded in response.

"All right, let us introduce each of the contestants! Surely you'll want to know who these nobodies are, right?" said Wario. "Can each of you grab a microphone and say something about yourselves?"

Mona appeared on stage with a microphone and handed it to the contestants. Francis snatched it from her and said loudly to the audience, "My name is Francis, and it's one that you better etch deep into your mind, because I'm going to win this contest no matter what! I'm the greatest gamer and otaku the world has ever seen! If any of you beg to differ, then feel free to challenge me! Or not, because you're going to lose horribly and ruin your reputation forever!"

Suddenly, 18-Volt snatched the microphone from him and said, "Hello, everyone, I'm 18-Volt! I'm the true greatest gamer the world has ever seen, not him! Clearly he is a visitor to Diamond City, because anyone who lives here knows that I am the best gamer the world has ever seen!"

"Aha, so a challenger has appeared!" said Francis, snatching the microphone away from him and pointing at him. "If you think you have the guts to prove to me that you are the better gamer, then let us have a duel to the death today!"

18-Volt snatched back the microphone and said, "Very well! A duel to the death it is! We shall see who the better gamer is!"

"Whoa... Looks like this is going to be very competitive..." commented Sakura as she watched them both bicker.

"I hope I don't compete against either of them... They both look like they might be experts..." said a worried Junko.

The rest of the contestants introduced themselves as well. Joe was a humble store owner boutique, and apparently, he has no gaming skills, so he lacked confident about his performance here.

Jimmy P. was the self-proclaimed greatest dancer in Diamond City and also made note the fact that he was not related to Jimmy T. in any way, even saying that their similar appearances and choices in attire are completely coincidental.

After Junko, Yuugiri, and Koopert introduced themselves as well, Wario then showed on the big screens the match-ups for the tournament.

Sakura vs. Jimmy P.  
Junko vs. Joe  
Yuugiri vs. Koopert  
Francis vs. 18-Volt

When Francis and 18-Volt saw that they were going to compete against each other, they stared at each other with large grins. When Junko saw her opponent, she remembered Joe saying he wasn't a gamer, so she felt relieved, thinking that this would be easy for her.

Koopert turned to Yuugiri and said to her, "We meet again, zombie! I may not have competed directly against you back on Isle Delfino, but I'm still going to carry the rivalry from there all the way here!"

Yuugiri asked him, "I'm sorry, but... who are you?"

* * *

Soon afterwards, Sakur and Jimmy P. were the only contestants on the stage, both of them standing in front of their respective TVs and holding controllers in their hands.

"I can do it! I know I can!" said Sakura with a confident smirk.

As Wario watched from the tower's balcony, he took out a silver helmet that was also designed to resemble a crown and put it onto his head. The size of the helmet changed slightly so that it could fit around his head. "Let's get the game started!" he said. "The both of you are going to play... Super Wario Brothers!"

Their TV screens then turned on to show a parody of the original Super Mario Bros., except they were both playing as Wario. The graphics were even 8-bit.

The large screen on the stadium wall and tower showed a split screen, each of them representing the two contestants.

"This doesn't look like anything I've practiced yesterday..." though Sakura when she saw the game. "Either way, I'm not going to lose so easily!"

"You can do it, Sakura!" Saki shouted from the audience area. The other zombies also cheered for her, including Mario and his friends.

When Wario gave the signal to began, Sakura and Jimmy P. began playing. Both players wasted no time moving their playable characters across the screen and avoiding enemies that came in the form of disembodied Mario heads with feet.

Mario and Luigi stared at the screen with weird expressions when they saw the enemy designs. "Why am I not-a surprised...?" wondered Mario.

"This is just like a game I played when I was the kid! I've still got it!" Sakura said to herself while reminiscing her childhood. She rushed through the stage as fast as she could but accidentally fell into a pit. "Oh no!" Because of this, she had to restart at a checkpoint.

Luckily for her, Jimmy P. was killed by an enemy shortly afterwards and went back to the same checkpoint at her, and by this time, she was already quite far ahead.

The two players continued pressing on through the stage, and Jimmy P. was slowly catching up to her. After going through the lengthy stage for a few more minutes, they came across the boss of the stage, a giant Luigi with an evil face and sharp fangs.

Again, Mario and Luigi had weird and unimpressed looks on their faces when they saw this. Toad turned to them and asked, "You guys all right with this?" They didn't give any response, however.

"You can do it! Beat that boss and then win this match!" Saki shouted at her fellow zombie.

In order to defeat the boss, one had to pick up bombs to spawned from a pipe and throw it at the giant Luigi, all the while avoiding the green fireballs he was shooting out of his mouth and nostrils.

Sakura was able to get a few hits before dying and going back to a checkpoint, and Jimmy P. joined her in death afterwards. The two players went back to the boss and continued bombing him.

"I mustn't lose!" Sakura told herself, only to die again afterwards. "Darn it!"

She went back to the fight and continued bombing him as fast as she could, as Jimmy P. hadn't died a second time and was therefore close to defeating the boss. The latter was able to beat the boss. The giant Luigi exploded while slowly fading away.

Jimmy P. shouted with joy at the thought of winning the match, much to Sakura's disappointment. Unfortunately, his celebration was short-lived, as he still had to jump over a pit located in the next screen in order to get to the goal, and he fell into, as he didn't see it coming. He cried in despair upon seeing that he had to fight the boss again.

Sakura saw this as the opportunity and kept on fighting the boss until she defeated him. She then rushed forward, making sure to jump over the pit, and reached the goal. She threw her arms into the air and shouted, "I DID IT!"

The match was over. Mona pointed her hand at Sakura and declared her the winner of this match. The audience cheered for her loudly, especially her friends.

"Way to go, Sakura! I knew you can do it!" exclaimed Saki.

"You're awesome, Sister Sakura!" shouted Lily. Tae also made excited-sounding cries.

"You did-a well!" Mario said to her.

"Well, looks like Miss Sakura won the first match, but can she make it all the way to the end?" said Wario.

Sakura and Jimmy P. then shook hands with each other.

"Congratulations!" the latter said to her.

"You're a great player too!" Sakura told him.

"I got careless, so I wouldn't say so. I'm more into dancing and music. Gaming isn't exactly my forte," Jimmy P. said to her.

"I'm also into dancing as well! Maybe we can learn dance moves from each other some time!" Sakura said to her.

"Good idea! Hope to see you at a dance club some day!" Jimmy P. said to her.

Next up was Junko versus Joe. Sakura told Junko to do her best as the latter walked up the stage. Similarly, her fellow idols at the audience area were cheering for her.

The two contestants got in front of their TV screens and picked up their game controllers. "I must do my best! I won't become a laughing stock!" Junko thought to herself.

"The game they will be playing is... Dog Fight!" said Wario loudly.

Their screens turned on, showing them that they were in control of a jet whose goal was to shoot down other jets. A stunned look appeared on Junko's face when she saw this, and she was at a lost of words as the mental image of her plane crashing down in flames flashed in her head over and over. "No... No...!" she quietly said to herself while trembling violently.

* * *

TO BE CONTINUED

Francis is from Super Paper Mario and Joe, 18-Volt, and Jimmy P. are all from the WarioWare series (the latter is specifically from Smooth Moves).


	22. Game On!

**Chapter 22  
Game On!**

* * *

Seeing that the game Junko was playing involved planes, and shooting them down at that, the zombies felt bad for the white-haired zombie. "Oh geez... How unlucky can she get...?" said Saki.

"As much as I want her to win, I'm afraid the chances are next to none now..." said Ai.

The game had begun, and Joe was already flying his jet around the sky, looking for Junko's jet to shoot down. The game was done in first-person style. Junko, on the other hand, was stunned and did not touch the buttons on her controller at all, so her jet was simply flying straight ahead and doing nothing.

Sakura, seeing that her friend was in shock, called out to her, "Junko! Get a hold of yourself! It's not real! It's just a game, so whatever happens in it won't happen to you! It's all right! I know you can do it! Overcome your fear!"

"Yeah, overcome your fear, fluffy!" Saki shouted at Junko. "You can't always live in fear of planes! You've got to get over it sooner or later!"

"You can do it! Lily believe in you!" Lily shouted at Junko. Tae also let out a cry, as if rooting for Junko, and popcorn that she filled her mouth with fell out as a result.

Hearing her friends rooting for her, Junko shook her head and then took a deep breath before saying to herself, "Right, I must pull myself together! I can't always let my death hold me back! I must perform my best no matter what! It's just a game! It's not real! I won't die in real life just because I die in the game!"

From her screen, she saw a jet appearing in front. It was Joe's jet. "Found you!" said Joe, and then he began firing at Junko.

Junko got shot a couple of times by his jet's built-in machine gun, and then she hurriedly steered her jet away. Fortunately for her, there were instructions of the controls on the corner of the screen, so she was able to use it as a guide.

Joe's jet chased Junko around and constantly shot her, and the latter found her jet's health slowly draining. Fortunately, there were recovery items in the form of fuel tanks floating around in the air via balloons for her to collect and replenish health. She knew she had to fight back, as the number of recovery items was limited.

Remembering the controls she read, Junko performed a u-turn and got behind Joe, much to the latter's surprise. She then fired a missile at Joe's jet, dealing massive damage to it, and then she used her machine gun to deal continuous damage.

"Yeah! That's how you do it!" Saki exclaimed after seeing what Junko pulled off.

"Great going, Junko!" Ai said to her.

"You can do it!" cheered Lily.

Junko continued to chase down Joe's plane and shoot him mercilessly. The dog was in great panic as he desperately tried to escape the zombie's plane, but due to being bad with the controls, he was unable to perform any special maneuvers to escape her and was therefore shot nonstop.

He tried looking for recovery items to keep himself alive, but they were too far away, so by the time he got to them, his health was down to the point that they didn't make much difference. Junko fired more missiles at Joe's plane, and eventually, he was shot down.

"Well, looks like Joe lost this fight!" said Wario when he saw the result of the match. "Maybe he shouldn't be piloting planes!"

"And the winner of this match goes to... Junko!" Mona said into her microphone while pointing her hand at the zombie, who was sighing with relief.

People clapped for Junko excitedly, and the zombie smiled as she waved her arm at everyone and thanked them.

"Wow! That was great! I knew you could do it!" Saki happily said to her.

"You did it! You're so awesome, Sister Junko!" said Lily.

Junko heard the cheering of her friends and felt glad that they supported her. She was also glad that she was able to overcome her fear in order to beat the game, at least for now.

Joe then went up to her and said, "Congratulations! I guess it only makes sense that you beat me, since I don't play video games and therefore don't have skills with them..."

"I'm not really a gamer too, so I can't say I won because of skills... It was more like luck, you can say..." Junko said to him with a smile.

"Nah, I think you do have skills. You performed better than me!" Joe said to her. The two then shook hands, and the dog wished her luck in making it to the end of the contest. They returned to the side of the stadium where the other contestants were, and Sakura and Yuugiri both congratulated Junko on victory.

"Next up is Yuugiri versus Koopert!" announced Mona as she pointed at those contestants, and they stepped up to the stage when their names were called.

They positioned themselves behind their TVs and picked up their controllers and waited for the screen to turned on. When it turned out, it was a puzzle game Poyo Poyo, where one stacked blobs of the same color together to make them disappear, and in doing so will fill up the opponent's side with blocks that take up a large amount of space and are hard to get rid of.

"Aww man! I'm bad at puzzle games!" cried Koopert when he saw this.

"Too bad! You have no choice but to play it!" Wario, who heard him, called out to him.

Yuugiri read the instructions shown on the screen and easily understood what she had to do. She could hear her friends cheering for her and telling her to do her best. "I mustn't disappoint them," she told her with a look of confidence.

The game began, and Koopert immediately tried to match as many same colored blocks as possible. For every successful group of same-colored blocks he eliminated, a black block appeared on Yuugiri's side of the screen, taking up extra space.

The courtesan didn't rush through things but instead observed her screen carefully in order to make strategic block placements. Despite her screen getting filled up with more and more black blocks due to Koopert's fast gameplay, she remained calm.

Junko felt nervous when she saw the disadvantage Yuugiri had and encouraged her to do her best, but Sakura told the former, "I'm sure Yuugiri knows what she's doing. Puzzle games like these shouldn't be rushed through."

Koopert's screen had lots of extra space because he used every opportunity he could to get rid of blocks, and it was due to this that Yuugiri's screen look cluttered.

"Yuugiri! Take this seriously! You're going to lose at this rate!" a worried Saki shouted at her.

Yuugiri still didn't look worried, however, while Koopert had a confident look on his face, as he believed he had the lead.

Yuugiri smiled when a blue block showed up. She had been waiting for that particular block to show up for a while. She stacked it next to an existing blue block and cleared it away. This resulted in a chain reaction where the blocks above it fell down onto same-colored blocks, and it happened over and over, thus a large amount of blocks, including the black ones, were eliminated.

Because of this, a large amount of black blocks appears in Koopert's screen, cluttering it up in an instant. He was shocked to see this, while the audiences were amazed.

"All right! That was splendid, Yuugiri!" said Sakura happily.

"Noooo!" cried Koopert. "How is this possible?!" Because he was in great panic and also because of the lack of space in his screen, he was unable to play properly, and in no time, his screen was completely filled up, so he lost.

Mona pointed at Yuugiri and declared her the winner, and the crowd gave her a round of applause. Needless to say, her companions cheered for her the loudest. "Way to go, Yuugiri! That was awesome!" said Saki.

Yuugiri returned to the side of the stadium and was congratulated by Sakura and Junko. "You had me worried for a moment..." the latter said to her.

"I'm surprised you're able to pull of a move like that!" Sakura said to the courtesan. "How did you think of that strategy?"

"Let's just say I think far ahead!" Yuugiri told her with a wink.

"All right, next up with have Francis versus 18-Volt, and the particular game they will be playing is rather violent, so viewer discretion is advised," said Wario. "We will also be having a special announcer for this match. Let us give 9-Volt a round of applause!"

A kid wearing a yellow helmet with a green visor then appeared on the stadium while waving at everyone, who clapped hands for him.

"Who is he?" wondered Ai.

Mario heard her and replied, "From what-a I know, he's a game testa at Wario's company."

"An employee at that age? Wow! It's a little boy's dream come true!" commented Lily.

Francis and 18-Volt got in front of their TVs and picked up their controllers. The screen turned on, and it was a title screen for a game called The Call For Blood.

"Here we go! One of the most violent fighting games of all time, Cries of Rage!" shouted 9-Volt with excitement when he saw the screen.

"All right! I'm good at this game!" said Francis with excitement.

"Not better than me, I bet!" 18-Volt said to the chameleon while looking at him.

The two players each chose three characters, as this was a team-based fighting game. Soon, the game started, and their characters stood on opposite sides of the screen. Francis's character was an extremely angry-looking man who looks a lot like a muscular version of Mario named Mayro, while 18-Volt's character was a shriveled-looking elf-like humanoid wearing black and purple overalls named Mr. Waa.

When the match began, both contestants immediately had their characters attacked each other. Francis's character dealt the first blow, and a large amount of blood flew out of 18-Volt's character when hit.

"Whoa! Look at that!" commented Saki when she saw the amount of blood flying whenever the characters attacked with each other.

"Ugh... This is really going to be a violent game, isn't it...?" said Ai in disgust.

Fracnsis' Mayro grabbed 18-Volt's Mr. Waa by the neck and punched him in the face with the hand over and over, sending blood splatter all over the place. The sight of this horrified some people, most notably Luigi, Junko, and Lily. 18-Volt's Mr. Waa recovered from the attack and then pounced onto Francis's Mayro, pinning him to the ground and then stabbing him in the chest over and over with a bloody knife that was made even bloodier from hitting its target.

Francis and 18-Volt had their eyes glued on the screen while pounding the buttons on their controllers with great intensity, and all the while, 9-Volt was making loud and over-the-top commentaries nonstop. "Francis hit 18-Volt with a projectile attack! He missed! Now 18-Volt has countered with his own projectile! Another miss! They're engaged in another close ranged combat! Wow! Look at them knocking their teeth out of each other! Who's going to lose first?!" said 9-Volt excitedly.

Eventually, Francis's Mayro punched 18-Volt's Mr. Waa onto the ground and then stomped his head so hard that it was smashed into bloody pieces. However, the match was not over yet, as 18-Volts second character immediately appeared on the screen. It was a gorilla with sharp fangs named Monkey Kong. 18-Volt wasted no time in attacking Francis's Mayro and easily defeated him, as the latter was low on health already. The gorilla grabbed the Mario lookalike's arms and ripped it off, causing the latter to scream in pain while bleeding to death.

Junko had a look of horror on her face and her hands over her mouth as she looked with widened eyes at the brutality going on in the game. "This... This is horrifying?! How can such a violent game be made?!" she asked.

"Um... Yeah... Violent video games are a thing... It's quite normal even back in our world..." Sakura told her.

The fight went on. Francis's new character was a woman wearing a pink dress armed with a shotgun named The B****, and he was able to defeat 18-Volt's Monkey Kong by blowing off his head. 18-Volt's third character was a blonde woman with a pair of horns and a pink crown on her head and wears a black dress. Her name is Bowsette.

The two female characters battled each other until 18-Volt's Bowsette killed Francis's character by incinerating her with a fire breath. Francis's last character then came in. It was a large man resembling Wario in his biker outfit and wielding a massive axe. His name is Warco.

"We're down to the final two characters!" said 9-Volt excitedly. "Who's going to win?"

Francis and 18-Volt played with great intensity while staring at the screen, and the audiences were also nervous to see who was going to win. It was a close match where anyone could win.

Francis and 18-Volt's characters kept on beating up each other, sending drops of blood flying all over the place. Eventually, Francis dealt the finishing blow by having his character bisect 18-Volt's Bowsette in half vertically. Francis then stood up, throwing his arms into the air, and shouting, "I WIN!"

"NOOOOOO!" cried 18-Volt while pulling his hair.

"And the winner goes to Francis!" shouted 9-Volt while pointing at the chameleon. Everyone clapped his or her hands while cheering for Francis.

"Haha! That was bloodily spectacular match! I love it!" praised Wario while clapping his hands.

"Wow! I really want to play that game! It looks bloody awesome!" said Saki with excitement.

"Just don't play it in front of us..." Ai said to her, and the former was holding a freaked out Lily in her arms. The young zombie was horrified by the violence he saw on screen.

Luigi had turned pale and was completely motionless, not even responding when Toad poked him in the shoulder. Clearly the violence was too much for him to handle.

"The first part of the contest is over! We will now move on to the second part, where the previous winners will face each other!" announced Mona. "Let us welcome Sakura and Junko onto the stage!"

The two zombies looked at each other when they heard their names being called. "Well, it's our turn, Junko," Sakura said to her.

"I guess this is to be expected..." said the latter.

"It's just a game, so don't take it too personally, okay?" Sakura said to her.

"It's all right. There's no reason for me to hold grudges over this if I lose," Junko told her with a smile.

The two zombies went up to their respective televisions and picked up their controllers. The game they were playing was a racing game called I Need Speed.

Both contestants drove luxurious-looking cars with unseen drivers, for it was a rather generic racing game that didn't even have items and weapons that could be collected. One relied solely on skills and special techniques to get ahead of each other.

The game began, and Sakura took the lead immediately. "I've played racing games before, so I've got this!" she said with confidence in her head.

The red-haired zombie smiled with confidence as her car traveled down the road at a fast speed, avoiding all sorts of obstacles. Junko, on the other hand, didn't drive as fast and constantly hit several things. She eventually got a hang of the controls, but even so, she was too far behind to catch up to Sakura. "Oh no... I'm going to lose!" she told herself.

Her companions watched the game through the large screen, and Lily said, "Lily has no idea who to cheer for..."

"At least we can still encourage Junko to try her best, since she's way behind," replied Ai.

As if complying with Ai, Saki shouted at Junko, "You can do it, fluffy! You managed to win the first time, so put the same effort into this and give Sakura a challenge!"

"It's easier said than done..." Junko said after hearing that.

Sakura continued to blaze through the racing course with ease, and Junko never got the chance. In no time, the former was able to achieve first place. There were only the two of them on the course to begin with. "I've won!" said Sakura happily while throwing her arms into the air, and Mona declared her the winner, so people clapped for the latter.

"Congratulations, though this was pretty boring..." said an unimpressed Wario while clapping slowly. "Should've chosen Mushroom Kart instead... That's a more fun racing game."

Sakura and Junko went up to each other and shook hands. "Congratulations, Sakura," the latter said to the former. "I had the feeling that you would beat me. I'm still not used to video games..."

"Don't feel bad," Sakura told her. "I think you did pretty well for the most part. Hope to see you get better!"

"Not sure if I'll be playing video games again..." said the white-haired zombie.

The two returned to the side of the stadium just as Yuugiri and Francis's names were called. Sakura said to the courtesan, "You can do it, Yuugiri! I believe in you!"

"I will not disappoint you!" Yuugiri assured her and Junko. She went to her television, while her companions cheered for her.

After the two contestants readied themselves, they found that the game they were playing was a military-themed first-person shooter called Duty Calls. Francis looked at Yuugiri from his location and said to her, "As attractive as you are, I'm afraid I won't be going easy on you. As a dedicated gamer, it is not in my character to show my enemies any form of mercy, no matter who they are. A pro gamer does everything he can to win."

"May the best player win, then," Yuugiri said to him with narrowed eyes and a smirk.

The game began, and their characters, both unnamed soldiers, began running around a war-torn city, looking for each other to kill. As if he had played the game before, which he actually did, Francis was able to make his way around the place with ease and get to Yuugiri in no time. He wasted no time in firing from his character's machine gun at her.

Yuugiri hastily rushed into a building for protection and wondered what sort of strategy she should take to fight back. Suddenly, a cylinder was thrown into the building, and she had no idea what it was. It turned out to be an explosive, which exploded in her face, killing her character instantly.

Fortunately, she still had lives, so she respawned in the location she started the game at.

"Don't let him take you down, Yuugiri! Shoot him back! Blow his head off!" Saki called out to the courtesan.

"Lily believes in you, Sister Yuugiri! Lily is rooting for you!" Lily shouted at her.

Despite Yuugiri doing her best to stay alive and shoot down Francis, the latter was simply too good. He was able to shoot her down from unseen locations and dodge her gunshots and explosives with little effort. In no time, Francis was able to take out all of Yuugiri's lives, and the courtesan lost not too long after the game began.

"Winner is Francis!" said Mona while pointing at the happy chameleon.

"Haha! That was too easy!" said Francis happily, and then he looked at Yuugiri. "Hey, it can't be helped if I'm so good! Hope you're not a sore loser!"

Yuugiri continued to maintain a smile on her face. "It's all right. I'm not one to hold grudges or throw tantrum over loses! I'm simply not good enough with this sort of thing."

She then went to the side of the stadium, and Sakura and Junko both felt bad for her. She assured them that she was fine with losing.

"Finally, we are down to the last part of the contest!" said Mona. "Sakura will now be facing off against Francis! The winner of this match will be the winner of the Golden WarioWare Tournament!"

The crowd went wild when they heard this. "All right! Do your best, Sakura! Show that guy who's boss!" Saki shouted at the red-haired zombie.

"Do your best!" Mario shouted at her.

Junko and Yuugiri both gave Sakura their blessings, and the latter thanked them before going onto the stage. Francis looked at her from his TV and said, "So it's down to the both of us. Pity that our first meeting had to be like this, because I would have preferred to take you out to a gaming expo or even play cooperative games with you!"

"Don't think saying nice things will make me go easy on you, because I won't!" Sakura said to him.

"Wait a minute, the controllers for this next game will be a different," said Mona, which confused the two contestants. As she was saying this, Kat and Ana came over to them with rolled up "mattresses" underneath their shoulders. They placed them in front of the contestants' televisions and unrolled them.

"This... This is...?!" said Francis in shock.

Sakura was shocked as well. "A dance pad?!"

"For the final game, let's see who can whip out the best dance moves!" said Wario. "Behold the final game, Dancing Mad!"

* * *

TO BE CONTINUED

Poyo Poyo, I Need Speed, and Duty Calls are parodies of Puyo Puyo, Need For Speed, and Call of Duty respectively.

Yes, the shotgun-wielding character's name is indeed the b-word also used for referring to female dogs.

And yeah, Bowsette... For anyone wanting to see her in any capacity in this story, hope you're happy with it.

While I did name Dancing Mad after the theme of the same name from Final Fantasy VI, this final game will have nothing to do with that game. It's just a name.

So I guess Sakura will have an advantage in the last game due to being accustomed to dancing? We'll see!


	23. WarioWare Deluxe

**Chapter 23  
WarioWare Deluxe**

* * *

The final event was between Sakura and Francis, and the game they were going to play as a dancing game called Dancing Mad, played using a dance pad. A smile appeared on Sakura's face when she saw how this game was to be played. Being an idol, she was confident that she had the advantage in this. "I can definitely do this!"

"All right, we're now down to the final match of this tournament!" said Mona loudly, which caused everyone to cheer loudly and clap hands.

"You can do it, Sakura! Show that your awesome dancing skills!" Saki shouted at the red-haired zombie.

Hearing her friend calling out to her, Sakura looked at her and waved back. "Don't worry; I've got this!"

"You better not underestimate me, zombie girl," Francis said to her while adjusting his glasses. "I may not look like it, but I'm actually quite good at this sort of thing!"

"Oh, you think you can beat an idol? You're in for a surprise!" Sakura said to him.

"May both the contestants step onto their dance pads and get ready?" Mona told them.

They got stepped onto their dance pads, and then the screen switched to showing the silhouette of a person with Wario's eyes and nose. "Are you ready?" said a voice coming from the game. "On your mark... get set... MUMBO!

Music started playing as arrows began showing up from the bottom of the screen. The Wario-like being on the screen also began dancing.

Sakura glued her eyes to the arrows as they moved towards the empty arrow-shaped blank spaces at the top of the screen. When they overlapped, she moved her legs to the correct part of the dance pad. Due to a large amount of arrows showing up at once, she found herself dancing rather intensely in no time.

Also, the music being played is Wario de Mambo from WarioWare Twisted.

Everyone watched intensely at both the things happening on screen and also the two contestants dancing on the dance pads. Most of them had eyes on Sakura as she danced in a way that showed great amounts of skill. She also seemed to be enjoying it, as evident of her cheerful-looking face.

Francis, on the other hand, had a nervous look on his face as he desperately tried to dance correctly and get the correct inputs. He was making mistakes here and there, whereas Sakura made absolutely no mistakes.

"Look at Sakura dance! She's very good!" commented Peach in awe.

Hearing this, Ai replied, "She is a pro like the rest of us after all!"

As the music and the dancing went on, some of the audiences began clapping to the beat of the music. They mainly did so because they saw how well Sakura was dancing. The zombie idol was clearly enjoying it, as evident of her fast-paced and upbeat movements that included jumping and even spinning. Her movements combined with her happy face brought smiles to the audiences and made them want to join in on the fun in some way, and clapping their hands was the best they could do.

Francis, on the other hand, realized now that he was clearly outmatched and fighting a losing battle. He even had his attention of Sakura as she danced and became so mesmerized that he wasn't looking at his screen at all and therefore not dancing the way he should. "So beautiful...!" he said in his head as he watched Sakura dance. "She's so beautiful...! She truly is a goddess! A goddess!"

The music went on for a couple more minutes, and it finally ended. Sakura struck a pose in which her legs were spread open widely and her arms were stretched diagonally sideways high into the air. Almost immediately afterwards, the audience went wild, cheering and clapping for her like their lives depended on it.

"BRAVO!"

"THAT WAS AWESOME!"

"BEST DANCE MOVES EVER!"

"Way to go, Sakura! That was awesome!" Saki exclaimed while clapping nonstop.

"You did awesome!" shouted Lily.

"Way to go, Sakura! I knew you could do it!" said Ai. Tae was making zombie sounds that seemed cheerful.

"Impressive! I really love eet!" said Mario.

"Great-a job!" said Luigi.

From the side, the other contestants were clapping their hands as well. "Wow! That was great!" said 18-Volt.

"Such wonderful dance moves! I have never seen such beautiful dancing in my life!" said Jimmy P.

Despite it was clear that he lost, Francis clapped his hands and crying. "Bravo! Bravo! It's so beautiful! I love every single part of it!"

Sakura waved happily at everyone with a large smile on her face and also said loudly, "Thank you! Thank you everyone for cheering for me! I'm glad that you all enjoyed it!"

The scores then showed up on the big screen, and unsurprisingly, Sakura had a better score than Francis. In fact, she got perfect score. The crowd went wild again when they saw the result, and nonstop cheering was poured onto her, which made her even happier. Even Francis felt happy for her.

Mona went up to Sakura and said to her, "Congratulations on winning this game! Is there anything you would like to say?"

Mona held her microphone close to the zombie, who said, "Again, thank you every one for cheering fo rme! I'm glad to the winner of this tournament! I was actually worried that I wouldn't do very well, as I have a history of being unfortunate with many things, but I'm glad that wasn't the case! I want to let everyone know that whatever you do, do no be afraid! Do it with the belief that everything will go smoothly and do the best you can! Even if you do fail, don't give up! Learn from your mistakes and try until you win!"

The crowd clapped and cheered for her again. Ai was especially glad to hear the last part, as those were words she once told other people regarding how to face challenges in life.

Francis then went up to Sakura and knelt down in front of her with his hands clasped together. "That was such a wonderful speech! I am deeply touched! I can't believe that I am able to hear such beautiful words of encouragement coming from the mouth of a goddess!"

Sakura blushed when she heard herself being praised like that. "I'm... I'm glad you enjoyed it!"

"I may have lost, but I am not an ounce unhappy at all! In fact, this is the greatest day of my life!" continued the chameleon. "I have now truly seen for myself how wonderful you are! Your looks, dance moves, voice, and words of wisdom... They are the best of the best! If those do not come from heaven, then I do not know where they come from! You truly are a gift from above!"

Sakura thanked him for such words of praise and wished him good luck in the future. Wario then spoke and grabbed everyone's attention. "Congratulations, Sakura! You have won Dancing Mad! I hope you're proud of your accomplishment!"

Sakura turned to Wario and waved at him. "Yes! I'm proud of my accomplishment!" In her mind, she was impatiently telling Wario to announce her as the first place winner of the tournament, even though it was already obvious she is.

Wario then stood up from his seat. "Well, now that congratulations are out of the way, allow me to pronounce you the... second place winner of the Golden WarioWare Tournament!"

"Yes! I got second place!" shouted Sakura excitedly as she jumped up, only to realize that something wasn't right. "Wait a minute, second place?! You mean first place?"

Wario shook his head. "Nope! Second place! First place is already taken!"

Her zombie companions and some of the audiences were confused to hear this. "What is he talking about? Why is calling her second place?" wondered Toad.

An anthropomorphic dog sitting next to him said to him, "You new here? If so, no surprise you would be wondering around this."

"What do you mean?" asked Toad.

Before the dog could respond, Wario said, "You are only second place because first place belongs to me!"

Sakura was surprised to hear this. "But you didn't participate at all! How are you first place?!"

"Because I'm the chairman of this company and the one who came up with this tournament, so I have the right to do whatever I want, including declaring myself first place for no reason!" Wario told her.

"That's not fair!" said the zombie angrily.

Her friends weren't happy to hear this as well. "What is that jerk talking about?! How can he declare himself first place for this reason?!" said Saki angrily.

"Not fair! That's basically cheating!" added Lily.

"I wouldn't be surprised, considering that-a he's a Wario..." said Mario.

Wario pointed at Sakura and said, "You want to get first place? Then you have to get through me first! But you better not test your luck, because I'm going to be the toughest opponent you've ever faced!"

"You won't know until we compete!" Sakura angrily said to her.

"Face it! There's no way you're going to win, considering that you've already failed at life once by dying!" Wario reminded her in a mocking tone. Sakura and her friends felt offended hearing this.

"That bastard!" said Saki angrily. "How dare he insult us like this?! Who does he think he is?!"

"It's official. I hate him now!" said an equally angry Ai.

"Do you think you still have what it takes to compete against me? You should probably just be content with having second place!" Wario told Sakura.

"I won't rest until I compete against you!" Sakura angrily said to him. "I won't let you do things your way unfairly!"

"Very well! It's your grave, then!" Wario said to her as he readjusted the silver helmet he was wearing and then sat back onto his seat and took out a game controller. "Let's have a match of the century where you lose big time! Don't blame me for not warning!"

Sakura looked at the TV she was playing with earlier and saw that a new game had appeared on it, so she went over to pick it up. It was simply called WarioWare.

"Like always, Wario declares himself the winner and gets the actual winner to compete against him," said Mona. "Can Sakura defeat Wario and claim her rightful place in this tournament? They will now duke it out in WarioWare to see who the real winner is!"

**BGM: Introducing Wario Deluxe (WarioWare Gold)**

The audiences' eyes were on the big screen when it displayed a split screen, one showing Sakura's TV and the other showing Wario's.

The first microgame they both played involved making Wario himself avoid an incoming vehicle either by jumping. Both of them managed to pass this with no issue, so they proceeded on to the next game, which involved making Wario catch a cup that was slid across the table towards him.

"Look pretty easy to me! I just have to survive until he loses all his lives!" thought Sakura as she played through the various microgames. She noticed that she had four lives.

As the audiences continued to watch the two play the various microgames, Saki cheered for Sakura. "You can do it, Sakura! Don't lose to him! We're all rooting for you!"

"Lily is rooting for you too! You can do it!" shouted Lily.

Sakura and Wario were both equally skilled, or perhaps the microgames were simply so easy that none of them had trouble. However, Wario lost a lives in a microgames that involves looking the odd one out among four pictures. "Argh..." he grumbled. "This isn't going anywhere... Time to do something... evil!"

There were some buttons, switches, knobs, etc. on the arm of his throne, and he adjusted one of them that was labeled difficulty.

Sakura continued to play the microgames, and she noticed that the speed of the games were gradually getting faster, though she didn't give much thought to it and simply thought it was normal for the difficulty to progressively get harder. She even lost a life in a microgame involving not getting stomped by a giant foot.

While Sakura didn't notice anything different, some of the audiences could tell from the big screen that her games were moving at a faster speed compared to Wario's, and at times, her games had elements that Wario didn't have, and those elements gave her an extra challenge.

"Anyone notice da differences in the games they are playing?" asked Luigi.

Mario nodded. "I noticed that-a too. Something tells me Wario intentionally sabotaged Sakura's games to give her a disadvantage."

"That's just like him..." said Toad.

Some of the contestants also noticed this unfairness, especially Francis. 18-Volt, who knew Wario the best among the contestants, even verified that Wario sabotaged things. This didn't sit well Francis. "I can't let that bastard get away with this!" he thought. "That beautiful goddess was supposed to win, and not only is he not letting her win, he's also attempting to cheat! I have do something about this!"

After saying that, he turned invisible and slipped away.

Wario and Sakura continued to compete against each other, and the increased speed and difficulty he brought to Sakura was beginning to put a strain on her, as Sakura had lost another life, while Wario hadn't lost another one after the losing the initial one.

"Heheh! Let's see you put up with this forever!" he told himself.

Completely unknown to him, Francis was able to make his way to his place by climbing the wall of the tower he was in. Due to being invisible, nobody noticed him doing this at all. While still invisible, Francis sneaked up to the side of Wario's throne and took notice of the controls there. After observing them, he secretly adjusted one of the knobs there to increase the speed and difficulty of Wario's microgames.

At first, Wario didn't notice any change, and even after he noticed the games getting harder, he didn't give much thought into it. However, he soon lost another life, but he shrugged it off and told himself that he would still be able to win.

Meanwhile, Sakura was still struggling to beat the microgames, and she was performing well so far, though she had to admit they were getting harder by the minute, something that Wario noticed as well when he lost another life and was down to only one left. "Argh! Why won't you lose already?!" Wario said in anger.

"I mustn't lose! I'm going to claim what rightfully belongs to me!" Sakura told herself. She could hear her friends cheering for her and told herself that she mustn't let them down by losing.

Francis was sill invisible and standing next to Wario. He also adjusted the knob that increased the difficulty of Sakura's microgames so that they became easier. "Good luck, Sakura! I know you can do it!" he said in his head with a smile.

The two continued to play the microgames, and for Wario, it was getting more and more intense due to him having only one life left and also his games being more difficult than Sakura's, whose games had become easier.

Wario was getting more and more desperate. "Why are my games becoming harder?! This shouldn't be happening!"

only After encountering a microgame involving answering question by choosing a negative-sounding answer, Wario made the mistake of choosing a positive one. As a result, he not lost that microgame, but the entire game as a whole, as he was already down to one life at that point.

**BGM Ends**

Both contestant's games ended, and Mona declared Sakura the winner. Sakura shouted with excitement while throwing her arms into the air, and the audience went wild, clapping for her.

"Hooray! She won!"

"You're the best!"

"She beat Wario! I can't believe it!"

Her friends were equally happy for her as well and cheered loudly for her. Even the contestants were happy for her. Francis, who had returned to the other contestants without anyone ever realizing that he had gone missing, clapped his hands while crying tears of joy. "I knew you could do it, my goddess! You truly are the best!"

Wario threw his controller onto the floor and also stomped the floor angrily. "Argh! This isn't supposed to happen! I'm supposed to win!"

"Hey you! I beat you fair and square!" Sakura said to him without ever realizing the truth about how things went down. "I'm first place for real now! What do you have to say for yourself?"

Wario looked down at her. "I'm not handing over any prize to you! It's all mine! Try and take it from me if you can!"

He sat back down onto the throne and and strapped on a seat belt that was there all along. At the same time, the ceiling that had closed over the stadium opened up slightly, and then the throne began floating into the air and fly towards the opening, much to everyone's surprise.

"I'm out of here! I bet you can't catch me!" taunted Wario as he flew out of the stadium, while everyone watched in shock.

"That jerk! He's escaping without declaring Sakrua the winner or even handing her her prize!" said Saki angrily.

"How can he do that?!" said an equally angry Ai.

"I agree that-a he's gone too far theez time!" said Mario, who was also angry.

They could still hear Wario laugh after he flew out of the place, only for it to be cut short by an explosion. A second later, Wario and his throne, both of which were badly burned, fell back down through the opening and crashed onto the center of the stadium, much to everyone's shock.

"Wha... What the?!" said Sakura in shock while looking at the burnt and seemingly unconscious Wario.

The silver helmet-crown hybrid he was wearing rolled off his head and onto the floor. All eyes were on Wario and wondered what on earth happened to him.

Suddenly, something came down from the opening on the ceiling. It was Bowser, riding his Clown Car. Mario and his friends widened his eyes in shock when they saw him. "Bowsa?!" said the plumber in shock.

When he was close to the floor, Bowser jumped out of his ride and picked up the helmet Wario was wearing. "Bwahaha! Found it!" said the turtle happily.

* * *

TO BE CONTINUED

Not much to say here other than the fact that the plot is beginning to move forward and get serious. Hope you enjoyed this chapter!


	24. The Superstar Armor Set

I cannot say when I will update Justice of Two Worlds again. For now, the story currently has close to 3,000 words. Whatever the case is, don't expect the chapter to be super long. It will probably only be between 3,000 to 4,000 words. I can at least tell you that it's going to be an action-packed chapter. Please continue to wait for a while longer.

**Chapter 24  
The Superstar Armor Set**

* * *

The appearance of Bowser was a surprise to everyone, as he was a well-known person, even if he lived in Mushroom Kingdom and mainly terrorized there.

The turtle picked up the silver helmet Wario was originally wearing and looked at it with glee. When he put it onto his head, the helmet readjusted its size so that it could fit onto his head, and holes even appeared at its sides so that his horns could go through them.

"Good! Only one more left!" he said with glee.

Mario stood up and pointed at him. "Bowsa! What-a are you doing here?!"

Bowser turned to see him and said, "Mario! Didn't expect to see you here at all! This is the last place I'd expect you to be in!"

Saki also stood up and said to him, "You! You're here to cause trouble again, aren't you? Don't you ever learn?!" Tae was also growling at Bowser angrily.

"And you zombies too!" Bowser said to her. "You think I'm afraid of you? Don't make me laugh! Nothing you ever do can pose a threat to me in any way!"

"What-a are you doing here, Bowsa?" Mario asked him.

Pointing at the helmet he was wearing, Bowser said, "I came here looking for this! Gathered information and found out that Wario somehow got his hands on it, so I came to take it from him! I doubt he has an idea on what this thing actually is and the potential it possesses! Heheh! If only he knew!"

Wario slowly lifted his head and glared at Bowser. "You dare come barging in here and steal my stuff?! I won't let you!"

Bowser turned to him and said, "Too bad I'm someone who takes whatever I want! I should thank you for helping me find this!"

Wario got back up and said, "You're going to regret it! Nobody steals my stuff and gets away with it!"

"Too bad I'm going to get away with it!" said Bowser. As soon as he said that, the ceiling began exploding, and the audiences screamed in terror when they saw this. When much of the ceiling was blown away, one could see a large airship with the figurehead of Bowser floating up there, and Bullet Bills and Bob-Ombs were being dropped down all over the place, destroying it. Needless to say, the people began running for their lives.

"Princess! You must get to safety at once! That evil Bowser must not get his hands on you again!" Toadsworth said to Peach in panic. The princess hurriedly ran off with her servants surrounding her for protection. Luigi also ran.

Mario, Saki, and Tae jumped down from the audience area, while Lily and Ai stayed in the audience area, watching with shocked looks at what was happening before them. The aforementioned trio approached Bowser, and Mario said to him, "You won't-a get away with this!"

"I told you will get away with this!" Bowser said to him before breathing fire at him. The trio jumped out of the way, and then Wario, who was behind Bowser, charged at him and rammed into his side heard, knocking him to the floor.

Bowser got back up and growled angrily before throwing a punch at Wario, who countered with his own punch. Their fists collided with each other with a powerful force that it resulted in a shockwave.

Mario used this opportunity to run at Bowser to attack him with a flying kick, hitting him in the side of the head and pushing him back a few feet. The turtle growled in anger before breathing fire at him and Wario, but they both got out of the way. After Bowser was done with his attack, Tae leaped at him and latched onto the front of his body while biting him in the shoulder, making him cry in pain.

The turtle eventually pulled Tae off his body and hurled her away, only to be shoulder bashed by Wario, immediately followed by another flying kick to the head by Mario.

As Mario, Wario, Tae, and Saki stood in front of the turtle in fighting stances, they noticed a Bullet Bill being fired in their direction, so they jumped out of the way. Looking up, they saw the Koopalings flying towards them in their own Clown Cars, ones smaller than Bowser's.

"Da Koopalings!" pointed out Mario.

"Who are they?" asked Saki.

"Some of Bowsa's most powerful and loyal subordinates," said Mario. "You were lucky to not-a run into them that-a time we went to Bowsa's castle, or else things would've been much tougha..."

Noticing the zombies present, Larry asked, "Those are the zombies you told us about, Lord Bowser?"

"They look like how we saw them on the internet, so they must be it!" pointed out Iggy.

"They look even uglier in person!" said Wendy in a malicious tone. "How did they become so popular with the public again?"

"Yes, they are revolting and despicable!" said Bowser. "I can't understand why anyone would find them attractive!"

Offended, Saki said to him, "You better not badmouth us! You should try looking at yourself in the mirror yourself and say to us we're unattractive again!"

"Ha! I look at myself in the mirror everyday, so I can confirm that I look a million times better than you!" said Bowser.

"You should get your eyes checked, then..." Saki said to him.

"How dare you say such a thing to Lord Bowser?! Have at you!" said Ludwig angrily as he waved a magic wand he was holding at her to shoot a blue fireball. Mario told Saki to watch out, and the latter smirked as she jumped out of the way. However, the fireball followed her, much to her surprise, and she was struck in the body and blown back.

"SAKI!" gasped Ai.

Seeing that her companion was attacked, Tae "barked" at Ludwig angrily before jumping at him. The latter smirked as he swung his wand at her to create an explosion, not only propelling her away but also sending her limbs and head flying in all directions literally.

"TAE!" screamed Sakura in shock.

"Haha! Serves you right for offending me when my loyal subordinates are around!" said Bowser as he jumped back into his Clown Car. "I don't have time to be messing with you folks, for I have one more thing I am seeking before I obtain the ultimate power to crush all of you!"

"You're not getting away!" said Wario angrilyl as he ran towards Bowser. "Give me back that helmet!" He jumped at the Clown Car with his arm reaching towards it, only to be hit by a green fireball fired by Iggy using his wand. Wario "exploded" in a puff of smoke and transformed into a yellow rabbit as a result. The rabbit has Wario's facial features, right down to the mustache.

"Mamamia! Wario!" said Mario in shock.

The villains laughed at what had become of Wario. "That's one ugly rabbit!" said Larry.

"I wouldn't want something as ugly as you as a pet!" said Wendy.

"Let's see you try to stop me now!" said Bowser as he began ascending into the air along with the others. "I'll be seeing you again eventually, and when the time comes, you will die by my hands! Hahahahaha!"

Everyone watched as Bowser and the Koopalings left the stadium to return to the airship, while Wario glared angrily at the villains and made incomprehensible noises and also jumped up and down angrily.

Other than Wario, nobody said anything until the airship flew away, and then Ai said, "What was that all about...?"

Sakura turned to the scattered body parts of Tae and rushed over to pick them up one by one and then returning them to the body. After piecing the mindless zombie together, Sakura asked her, "Are you all right, Tae?" The latter simply made a groaning sound, which Sakura interpreted as "yes."

"Darn it! He got away!" said Saki angrily while looking the holes made on the ceiling of the stadium. Wario in his bunny form was still jumping up and down angrily.

Some of the WarioWare employees then came over, and Mona said, "That was... unexpected... Is everyone all right?"

Kat and Ana looked at the rabbit Wario, and the former said, "He looks quite cute like this!"

"I don't know... The face creeps me out..." said Ana. She then turned to Ashley and asked her, "Can you change him back? Assuming he doesn't change back by himself..."

"I'll have to look into it first," replied the witch. "Though I would prefer that he stay like this." Hearing this, Wario turned to her and made angry, incomprehensible sounds.

"Why wuz Bowsa afta da helmet anyway?" wondered Mario while rubbing his chin.

"Did he not say that it possesses great potential that Sir Wario does not realize?" Yuugiri reminded him.

"I heard-a him say that, but I still don't-a know what-a he means..." said Mario, and then he turned to the employees. "Do you know where Wario got that-a helmet?"

Mona shook her head. "I didn't know he has something like that... I don't even know what that is!"

"We don't know as well," said Kat and Ana together.

"I don't know what that helmet exactly is, but I may have an idea," replied Ashley, causing all eyes to turn to her. "I've read about ancient artifacts that grant users great power. The way Bowser worded things imply that it is an ancient artifact that does just that to its wearer, and Chairman Wario had no idea about it."

"I may not be an expert in archaeology, but using my knowledge of video games, I dare say that it is possible that the helmet is some sort of magical artifact that grants its wearer great powers! You usually find those sort of things in RPGs," said Francis.

"Then we have to go after Bowser and take it back from him as soon as possible!" suggested Saki. "He's going to take over the world if we don't!"

"True, but-a we should also look-a more into what that-a helmet exactly eez," said Mario.

* * *

Because of Bowser's invasion, the tournament was considered cancelled, even though Sakura managed to win first place. Because of this, she and the participants weren't awarded anything, much to their disappointment.

They decided to stay in Diamond City one more day before leaving the next day. After Peach learned about the details of what happened, she tasked Toadsworth and some of her servants in finding out more info about the helmet Bowser stole from Wario.

Wario was still in the form of a rabbit, as Ashely had to look through her book of magic spells to see if she could find a way to change him back, so for now, he had to stay in that form for the entire day, and it didn't sit well with him.

* * *

The next morning, the zombies were finishing up breakfast at the hotel. Mario's group was sitting next to their table, also finishing up their breakfast.

Toadsworth then entered the room with a laptop in his hand. "Princess, I consulted Toadsbert, and he has managed to find valuable information on the helmet Bowser stole from Wario yesterday!"

Hearing this, everyone turned his or her attention to Toadsworth as he placed the laptop onto the table Mario and company's table. "What did he find out?" asked Peach as she looked at the screen.

Toadsworth showed them images of four objects made of silver. They consisted of a pair of gauntlets, a pair of boots, a helmet, and a body armor.

"According to him, these are known as the Superstar Armor Set," explained Toadsworth. "It was create by ancient civilization and was imbued with magic that grants wearers great powers if they wear all of them."

"That-a explains why Bowsa eez looking for them..." said Luigi.

"These were created centuries ago, but when they fell into wrong hands, powerful wizards stripped the armor set of its powers," continued Toadsworth. "However, it is said that its power will return in a century. Judging by the date its power was stripped, I believe this is the year when its power has been restored."

"So eef Bowsa finds all of them and puts them own, he will obtain great powa?" asked Mario.

Toadsworth nodded. "That is surely the reason he went looking for them. Speaking of which, I found out from news reports that that the gauntlets and boots were stolen from their locations. The gauntlets were in the possession of a rich artifact collector back in our country, while the boots were in a museum in New Donk City. I can only imagine that Bowser was the one who stole them..."

"Then that leaves only the body armor," said Peach. "If he gets his hands on that, we may have a hard time stopping him... Where is the last one?"

"The last one is hidden in Pi'illo Island," replied Toadsworth.

"Then we should head there fast and stop-a him before eet'z too late!" said Mario.

"Don't worry; even if we are too late to stop him, there is a countermeasure to this," Toadsworth told him. "You see, when this armor fell into the hands of an evil warlord back then, a powerful weapon was created to fight back against him, and it may very well be the only weapon in existence that can take down someone who is wearing this armor set. It is called the Rainbow Spear."

"Rainbow Spear?" said Luigi curiously.

Toadsworth nodded. "And apparently, it's located in Pi'illo Island as well!"

"Then we should-a head ova there and get da spear and also da armor," suggested Mario.

"Indeed," agreed Peach. "In the likeliness we are unable to stop Bowser from getting the body armor, the spear must be obtained to stop him. All right; we shall head to Pi'illo Island. I am sure Prince Dreambert knows something about this and is willing to lend us a hand."

* * *

Soon after this, the group headed for the airport as soon as they could. On the way there, they also learned that Wario would have to stay a rabbit for another day, because according to Ashley, she had to whip up a potion that could turn him back to normal, but she was missing a key ingredient. She ordered it from the internet, and it wouldn't arrive until the next day.

The group boarded the plane and waited for it to take off. While doing so, Saki thought about what she heard at the hotel and said, "Saving the world... Heh! Never thought we would be doing it again!"

"I can't believe we're doing this again... It was bad enough it happened the first time we came to this world..." grumbled Ai.

"Not a fan of being a hero, eh?" Saki asked her.

"We're not idol material... Who's ever heard of zombies trying to save the world... through fighting...?" said Ai.

"I think it's cool! Zombie idols saves the world mad turtle by beating him up! I would love for something like this to happen back in our world!" said Saki, sounding enthusiastic.

Lily asked Mario, "What is Pi'illo Island like?"

"Eet'z a place where a species of pillow-like beings known as Pi'illos live," explained Mario. "That-a place eez great for those who are into history, as eet has a lot-a historical sites."

"Sounds interesting!" commented Yuugiri.

"They also have special pillows that allows people who sleep on eet to open portals to dream worlds," added Luigi.

"Portal to dream worlds?" asked Junko curiously.

"It's a world that-a can only be accessed through dreams," clarified Mario. "I have been there before to resolve a certain crisis. Luigi slept on those pillows to create portals to da dream world so that-a I can go into them."

"Wow! Sounds unbelievable and magical!" commented Sakura.

Mario nodded. "Eet definitely eez very magical!"

* * *

TO BE CONTINUED

The plot thickens! That's it for the WarioWare arc! Next up is the Dream Team arc! I wonder if zombies dream of zombie sheep when they sleep? Hmmm...


	25. Dreamy

Sorry for the wait, but let us begin the Dream Team arc now!

**Chapter 25  
Dreamy**

* * *

It was decided that the plane would head for Pi'illo Island in order to stop Bowser from obtaining the last piece of the Superstar Armor Set, not to mentioning obtaining the Rainbow Spear in case it was needed to counter him.

As the passengers waited for the plane to reach its destination while watching TV, a particular program that caught the zombies' interest was broadcasted. It was about their concert from about a month and a half ago, when they came to the Mushroom Kingdom for the first time.

"Hey look! It's us!" said Saki in surprise while pointing at the screen.

The broadcast showed the concert they held after defeating Bowser. The scene then changed to various people weighing in on their opinions of the zombie idol group.

"I think they're great!"

"They're really zombies? But they don't look scary at all! In fact, they look attractive!"

"They're so awesome! I love them!"

"When are they going to release a new album? I can't wait to buy it!"

The zombies were happy to hear that they were receiving good reception among the people. "Even our fame and reception reached the hearts of the people here! I'm so happy!" said Sakura with a smile.

"Yeah! Because we're legendary!" said Saki.

However, not everyone had a good opinion. The scene then showed a middle-aged man with messy black hair, a large nose, a face full of pimples, and a bucktooth. According to a name tag shown on the screen, his name is Fatt Lardd, and he is a renown critic.

"Overrated..." he said in a depressed tone. "My pet rock can play better music than them. The music is a mess... The tune, beat, and all... What an earsore! They're only average at best, and even saying it's average is a stretch! And don't get me started on those dance moves. What's with those dumb uncoordinated movements? That black-haired girl who looks like she hadn't slept in years is particularly terrible. What's with her stupid dance moves that shouldn't even be called dance moves? Why is someone like that even part of the group? If I was their manager, I would've kicked her out right away. If they really are zombies, then they should've just stayed in their graves! What an embarrassment to the idol industry..."

The zombies were shocked to hear the harsh criticism. "What's with that idiot?! What right does he have to say we're terrible idols?!" said Saki angrily.

"I know people have different opinions and all, but that was unnecessarily harsh..." said Ai.

"Don't bother with him!" said Toad angrily. "Critics are all the same! They are morons whose job is to spout negative things and hurt the feelings of people! They have no sense of appreciation and think they are better than everyone else, despite the fact they can't for their lives actually do the things they are criticizing!" As he said that, his temper began to increase, as well as his voice. Soon, all those in the area turned their eyes to him as continued to rant in anger.

"F*** all critics! They think they are gods who have the right to spit on the hard work of other people and hurl insults however they see fit without regards to how people feel! They are disgusting pile of turds that should not be considered living beings at all!

"They have terrible taste in almost everything! F*** them and their criticism of the DCEU! Bat-Toad v Super Toad: Dawn of Peace, Game Over Squad, and Peacekeeper League are all great movies that idiots like them cannot appreciate! The Martha scene in the former is a powerful and touching scene that shows the power of one's love for his mother and how it can turn enemies into friends! Everyone who calls that a bad scene are emotionless a**holes who don't love their mothers at all! They may not be perfect movies, but they are far from the worst movies ever like those bastards are claiming them to be!

"Curse all critics for causing my favorite A Specific Magical Encyclopedia and My Hero University crossover fan fiction to be cancelled! That was an awesome story, but these so-called gods had a bone to pick with it and kept on harassing the author with their words of poison until he finally snapped and decided to cancel the story! One of those bastards even said that while he did not intended for the story to be cancelled, he does not feel bad and sorry at all for what he said! THAT DEVIL!

"And don't even get me started on their horribly stupid review for Dinozilla: King of the Monsters! What kind of idiot watches a monster movie and expect lengthy human drama and conversations?! Complaining about too much monster screen time and action in a monster movie?! Idiots! All of them! Words cannot even describe how idiotic they are!

"CRITICS! F*** ALL OF THEM! CURSE THEM ALL! SCREW THEM! I HATE THEM! THEY SHOULD ALL SUFFER AND DISAPPEAR FROM EXISTENCE COMPLETELY!"

With, Toad finally stopped his ranting and was breathing heavily from speaking nonstop. Everyone had his or her eyes wide open in shock as they continued to stare at Toad, trying to comprehend everything he said just now.

The silence was broken when Tae clapped her hands while making noises that sounded like "yay."

* * *

Peach's plane finally arrived at Pi'illo Island after a few hours of flying and landed at its airport, which was called Pi'illo Blimport by its locals.

The passengers stepped down and enter the main building of the "blimport," they were greeted with civilians in the form of yellow anthropomorphic blocks and brown dome-shaped beings. There were several other species as well, most of them being familiar ones such as Toads, Koopas, Goombas, and even humans.

The zombies were amazed and intrigued by the odd species here. This was their first time seeing such people in this world. "What are all those... people?" asked Ai.

"The population of Pi'illo Island consists mostly of Brocks and Hooskis," explained Mario. "Da ones that look like blocks are Brocks, while da brown ones are Hooskis."

"They look artificial," commented Lily, looking at the aforementioned species.

"They do, but they are living beings just-a like uz," Mario said to them.

"This world continues to amaze me..." said Junko. "I don't think there can be anything that can never not surprise us here."

"That is not a bad thing," said Yuugiri. "I actually look forward to discovering new things all the time!"

"So... now that-a we're here, what-a should we do first?" asked Luigi.

"We need-a a lead as to where da last Superstar Armor piece eez," replied Mario, "and I know just da person to ask."

"Surely you mean Prince Dreambert, am I correct?" Toadsworth asked him.

Mario nodded. "Indeed. Princess Dreambert eez da best person to ask."

"Let me guess: he's a royalty of this island, right?" Sakura asked him.

Mario nodded again. "Yes. When theez island was threatened by Bowsa and a villain named Antasma, Luigi and I teamed up with Prince Dreambert to defeat-a them."

"It sounds like you never catch a break when it comes to world saving..." commented Ai.

Mario shrugged. "You can say that, but honestly, I quite enjoy saving da world! Beats not having anything to do!"

"I'd ratha that-a theez doesn't happen all da time..." said Luigi, not sounding too happy.

As they were walking through the the place, they noticed one particular Brock waving at them. This particular Brock had a mustache and wore a red bow tie. "Monsieur Mario! Princess Peach! Bonjour! What a pleasure to meet you!"

The group approached them, and Peach shook hands with him. "It is nice to see you again, Broque Monsieur!"

"I was surprised to hear that the princess of the Mushroom Kingdom is coming over! Zis is unexpected!" replied the Brock. "However, you are always welcome here!"

"We're actually here for a very important reason, and we need-a to see Prince Dreambert," Mario told Monsieur Broque.

"I see," said Monsieur Broque with a nod. "Prince Dreambert has been staying in Dreambert Castle all zis time. I will take you to him. I am sure he will be very surprised and glad to see you all!"

"We're going to meet another royalty! Wow! I can't wait!" said Sakura.

* * *

Dreambert Castle wasn't located too far from Pi'illo Blimport. It took less than minutes of driving to get to that place. The group arrived at the place via bus. Stepping down from the bus, the group saw that there were a large amount of tourists walking around the castle exterior.

"Must be a very popular place," commented Ai.

"Dreambert Castle is a popular tourist attraction," explained Monsieur Broque. "It was originally believed that the Pi'illo race died out long ago, so the castle had been left uninhabited. It turned out that the Pi'illo race, including the prince himself, were alive all along! Albeit in a state of distress... Anyway, even though the prince is once again occupying this castle, he still allows zis place to be used for tourism."

"He must be a very kind person!" commented Junko.

"Prince Dreambert eez a friendly fellow for sure!" Mario told her.

As Monsieur Broque led the group towards the castle, the zombies attracted the attention of the tourists. Some of them commented on their odd appearances, despite their own appearances being odd as well, at least to those zombies, while some commented on how they were those idols that became popular in the Mushroom Kingdom a while back.

By now, the zombies were used to such gossip, and hearing people talking about how good their performance was back then made them rather proud. "We really hit the whole world hard, huh? Makes me happy!" commented Saki.

"Come to think of it, exactly how well known are we back in our own world?" wondered Sakura. "I can imagine us being well-known throughout Japan, but the rest of the world..."

"The idol industry is actually considered niche stuff usually only known in their country of origin, so I doubt we are known worldwide," replied Ai. "Compared to stuff like sports and movie industries, the idol industry still has a long way to go before it can be considered mainstream."

"Oh, you can bet that we're gonna break this barrier and become mainstream!" said Saki with confidence. "The fact that we broke the barrier of becoming famous in an entirely different universe is proof enough!"

They entered the castle and were greeted with the beautiful interior of the building that also had several people. Monsieur Broque led them into the throne room, which was off-limits, but he was able to obtain the permission from guards to enter.

In the throne room, there was a throne at the back end, obviously, and lying on it was a red pillow. Monsieur Broque went up to the pillow and said to it, "Prince Dreambert, it is an honor to meet you! I have brought before you a guest and a friend that you know well!"

"Why is he talking to a pillow...?" asked Junko in confusion.

"Becuz that's-a Prince Dreambert," Luigi told her, which only confused her and the other zombies even more.

The pillow suddenly glowed in bright light, much to the surprise of the zombies, and they were even more surprised when the pillow transformed into a person with the head of a pillow. Looking at Mario and co., the "pillow man" said to them with a smile, "Mario! Luigi! Princes Peach! It is an honor to see you all! I did not expect you to be here!"

Peach did a curtsy and said, "It is an honor to meet you again, Prince Dreambert! If we arrived at the wrong time, please forgive us for not giving a word first."

The prince raised his hand. "Fear not. Your presence here is always welcome! Mario and Luigi are saviors of my kingdom, so they are more than welcome to come here whenever they wish, and this applies to friends of his as well!"

"Thank you very much, Prince Dreambert!" Mario said to him with his hat off, and then he put it back on. "Da reason we came here eez a dire one, and we may need-a your help in theez matta."

Dreambert was going to ask what it was when he noticed the zombies, and a look of shock appeared on his face as he got into a defensive stance and said, "What manner of entities are those?! Are they not revenants, beings that came back to life from the dead?! Why are such abominations doing here?!"

The zombies were surprised to hear him say that, but Mario raised and waved his hand at the prince. "Do not-a be afraid, prince! They are with me. They are my friends!"

"Indeed, these zombies are our friends," said Peach, supporting Mario's claim. "Please do not be afraid, prince. They will bring you no harm at all!"

"Is that so? Then I apologize for my words earlier," Dreambert said to the zombies.

"It's... It's all right... We were sort of expecting you would freak out when you see us..." Ai said to him.

"You haven't heard of us before? I thought the whole world should know who we are by now after our performance a month ago or so," Saki said to the prince.

"I am afraid I do not pay enough attention to the events going on around the world," replied Dreambert.

After this misunderstanding was cleared up, Mario explained to Dreambert the reason they came here, about Bowser and his quest to claim the Superstar Armor Set. The Pi'illo prince nodded in response to what he heard. "A dire situation indeed..." he said. "I know well the Superstar Armor Set, and the last piece is located on this island, as well as the Rainbow Spear. In fact, the spear's location is in this very castle, well guarded and in safe hands."

"That's great to hear!" said Peach.

"However, the last piece of the Superstar Armor lies somewhere else, within the Dream World," said Dreambert.

"Eet'z in da Dream World?" said Luigi curiously.

Dreambert nodded. "Yes, it was placed in the Dream World so that it could not be found so easily for fear of it falling into the wrong hands. Even though I have confidence that Bowser will not be able to get his hands on it for this reason, I do believe that it is a wise decision that we look at the armor and see if it is truly safe."

"Safety precautions are important after all," said Toadsworth with a nod.

"I will guide you there and grant you access to the Dream World," said Dreambert. "We must make haste to Driftwood Shore, for that is where the armor is hidden!"

Peach turned to Mario and said, "Please hurry, Mario. We do not know where Bowser is currently, but we must obtain the last piece of armor before he finds it. I will ensure that the Rainbow Spear is safe as well."

Mario nodded. "You can trust-a me in theez, princess!"

* * *

After saying this, a group consisting of Mario, Luigi, Dreambert, Saki, Tae, Lily, and Yuugiri headed over to Driftwood Shore. The other zombies decided they want to stay at the castle.

Following Dreambert's guidance, the group came to what appeared to be a small shrine made of rock hidden in a jungle close to the shore. "This is the shrine where the Superstar Armor is hidden," said the prince.

"A bit small for a shrine, don't you think?" said Lily.

"One can say that the main shrine itself lies in the Dream World," Dreambert told her. "Come, we must make haste into the depths of the shrine's Dream World and find the armor."

They entered the shrine, which was rather empty save for some few unlit torches. There was a raised platform at the back end of the room, and the group approached it. "This is the Dreampoint where the entrance to the Dream World is located," explained the prince. He then turned to Luigi. "Luigi, it is high time that you once again serve as the gateway to the Dream World."

"Just like-a old times!" said Luigi as he adjusted his hat.

"What does he mean by Luigi serving as the gateway?" asked Saki.

"To enta da Dream World, one must-a sleep on a Pi'illo while on a Dreampoint," Mario told her. "Apparently, only certain people sleeping on them can make the entryway appear. For some reason, I am unable to make-a eet appear, but Luigi can. When Bowsa attacked theez island last-a time with da help of another villain, Luigi had to sleep on Prince Dreambert multiple times to open da gateway to da Dream World so that- I can go into eet an accomplish various things."

"Sounds neat and magical!" commented Lily.

"Let us make haste!" said Dreambert as he transformed into back into a pillow and rested on the Dreampoint. Luigi then got onto the platform and rested his head on the transformed Dreambert.

The others waited for something to happen, but it never did. Luigi opened his eyes and sat up. "Hmmm... Strange..." he said. "I should-a be asleep already..." He lied down again and tried to fall asleep, but couldn't. He sat back, and Dreambert changed back to normal.

"What is the matter, Luigi?" Dreambert asked him.

"I don't-a know... For some reason, I can't-a fall asleep..." said Luigi.

"People don't fall asleep so easily, you know..." Saki told him.

"Not when one sleeps on a Pi'illo," Dreambert told her. "We are special in that we use our magical powers to grant those who rest their heads on us sleepiness. However, as Mario explained earlier, it only affects certain people, and it appears that it only works during certain periods of time. Luigi is not affected this time around."

Lily raised his arm. "Then let Lily try!"

The others turned to him, and Yuugiri asked, "Are you sure you want to do this?"

Lily nodded. "As long as Lily can help contribute to doing good, I am more than willing to help!"

"Then let us give it a try, young maiden!" Dreambert told her before transforming into a pillow. He laid down on the Dreampoint again, and Lily got onto it and rested his head on the pillow. Within just a few seconds, Lily feel asleep, and then a colorful portal appeared over his head.

"Mamamia! Eet worked!" said Luigi in surprise.

Dreambert, or rather, just his head, appeared within the portal. "The entryway into Driftwood Shore's Dream World has been opened! Make haste and come in here, Mario!" the prince told him.

Another Lily suddenly showed up within the portal. "Hello!"

"Huh? Two Lily?" said Saki in surprise.

"That-a eezDreamy Lily, da Dream World version of her," explained Luigi. "When you sleep on da pillow, you will also appear in da Dream World, and you will be able to do things that you normally cannot! Eet all depends on your imagination! When I wuz there, I wuz able to do things like multiplying myself and also becoming a giant!"

Hearing this, Dreamy Lily said, "Lily can't wait to try out those things!"

"All right-a! I'm going in!" said Mario as he readied to jump inside the portal.

"I wish to tag along," Yuugiri told Mario. "If Lady Lily is in there as well, then I wish to be at her side to keep her safe."

"Are you sure? Eet can be dangerous," Mario told her.

Yuugiri smirked in response. "I doubt any danger can actually bring harm to me now!" She then turned to Saki and Tae. "I hope you do not mind me entering the Dream World."

"Go ahead," Saki told her. "Have fun in there and keep Lily and Mario safe! Tae and I will keep watch out here!" Tae let out a cry as if agreeing on the same thing as Saki.

"Okey-dokey! Let's-a go!" said Mario, and then he jumped into the portal, shortly followed by Yuugiri.

Yuugiri looked around and found herself in a beach-like landscape similar to the outside, but the sky was filled with various colors. "This place has a magical feel to it!" she commented.

"Eet eez a world found only in dreams afta all! Anything can happen here," replied Mario.

Lily tugged Yuugiri's shirt and said to her, "Thanks for accompanying me, Sister Yuugiri!"

"Anything to keep you safe, Lady Lily!" Yuugiri said to her with a smile.

* * *

TO BE CONTINUED

Toad's ranting about critics are my exact feelings towards them; I share all his opinions.

I came up with Fatt Lardd, intentionally giving him a stupid-sounding name and also also intentionally making him really ugly.

Anyway, Lily will basically be playing Luigi's role from Dream Team! Let's see what sort of crazy things he can pull off here!


	26. Power of Dreams

Sorry, didn't realize that it's been over ten days since the last chapter...

**Chapter 26  
Power of Dreams**

* * *

Previously, Lily used Prince Dreambert as a pillow within a shrine located in Driftwood Shore to gain access to the Dream World there so that they could find the last piece of the Superstar Armor Set. Mario and Yuugiri then went into the Dream World and met Dreambert, who was only a head while there, and Dreamy Lily, who according to Dreambert was Lily's consciousness within the Dream World.

"Much like lucid dreaming, where you are aware that you are within a dream and have the power to influence it, you have the ability to do as you wish here, so long as you have a strong enough imagination," Dreambert explained to Dreamy Lily.

"Really? Sounds awesome!" commented the latter.

"You are free to try it out," Dreambert told him.

Dreamy Lily thought about it and said, "Okay, let's see what I can do..." He closed his eyes and thought about something, and then in an instant, his clothing changed into a frilly pink dress. Looking at said dress, he said, "Wow! Nice!"

"Now you see the power you currently possess, and you can do much more than this!" Dreambert told him. "However, let us press on for the moment. I am sure you will be able to come up with a good use with this ability."

"Luigi used it to help-a me get-a through da Dream World multiple times," Mario told the young zombie.

With a confident look, Lily said, "You can count on me to get you through this place, then!"

Dreambert then led the group through the place, leading them to the shore that had a small island on the other side, and there was a rope on the shore that appeared to have come from said island. A sign was next to the rope, saying that the strength of twenty people was required to pull the island over.

"Twenty people? We only have three people here, not-a counting Dreambert, since he does not possess a body to perform physical tasks currently," said Mario.

"What are we going to do?" asked Yuugiri. "We do not have enough people here."

Dreambert turned to Lily and said to him, "Your time has come, Lady Lily. It is high time you use your power in the Dream World to accomplish this task. Use your imagination to create duplicates of yourself so that this task can be done."

"Clone myself, eh? Let me give it a try!" said Lily. He closed his eyes and was then in deep thought about cloning himself. As he did so, his body began to glow and sparkle, and then clones of himself popped out of his body magically, twenty of them in total. Yuugiri was surprised to see this, but not the other two. Lily looked at the clones around himself in surprise. "Wow! It worked! And I did was think about it!"

"This is a surprise, Lady Lily!" Yuugiri said to him.

"You have successfully pulled this off! Now you will be able to pull the island over there to us," Dreambert said to the zombie.

"Leave it to me!" said all the Lily simultaneously while raising their arms into the air. They went over to the rope and pulled it together, and this caused the small island on the other side to be pulled over to the shore little by little.

Within a few seconds, the island was pulled over to the shore. The rope was tied to a green warp pipe sticking out of the sand there. "I did it!" said all the Lily at the same time happily.

"Great-a going!" Mario said to him.

The clones then disappeared, and then Dreambert told everyone to head into the warp pipe. They did so and then found themselves in a different area of the Dream World.

From there, the prince continued to lead them from place to place, and they encountered several obstacles that required Lily to clone himself to get things done so that they could keep on moving forward. The young zombie found himself having a fun time doing these.

They eventually came across a large group of creatures that resembled clumps of green feather. "What are those?" asked Yuugiri.

"Those are Dreamcaps, dangerous creatures that roam the Dream World," Dreambert told her. "Be careful, for the pain you feel here are very real, for you are here in person. Dreamy Lily, on the other hand, will not suffer consequences, as she is not actually present in this place. It is not wrong to say that she has immortality currently."

"Eh, we zombies are more or less immortal, so that doesn't make a difference..." said Dream Lily.

One of the Dreamcaps noticed the good guys standing over there, so it alerted its companions. All of them then charged straight towards the good guys, much to the latter's surprise. "Uh oh, they're coming afta uz!" said Mario in shock.

Dreambert was going to say something when Lily ran in front of everyone else and said, "Leave them to me!" In an instant, he created several clones of himself, and they charged at the incoming group of enemies.

Both sides clashed and started beating up each other. A cloud of dust was created as a result of their intense beatdown, while the others stood by the sidelines, watching in awe at the chaos that unfolded before their eyes.

After about a minute, the cloud dust cleared down, and all the Dreamcaps were seeing lying on the ground, badly beaten up. Dreamy Lily and his clones raised their arms in triumph, though the number of clones was lesser than before. "Victory!" they all shouted.

"Mamamia! You sure got-a them good!" commented Mario.

"Good job, Lady Lily!" said Yuugiri while clapping her hand.

"Incredible! I was just going to tell you that you should use your powers in the Dream World to deal with them. It seems that you getting used to your powers here well!" said Dreambert.

"I love this place! Really hope I can keep my dream powers when I wake up!" said Dreamy Lily.

"Unfortunately, what you get here can only remain here," Dreambert told him. "Once you wake up, you are back to your normal self."

Lily sighed a bit when he heard this, and Yuugiri comforted him, telling him that he would always be strong no matter what, and this comforted him. Dreambert then suggested that they keep on pressing ahead.

* * *

After a while of making through the place, they came to a tall staircase. "The Superstar armor piece is just up there. We are close to our goal," said Dreambert.

"I hope eet eez still there," said Mario.

"I find highly doubtful that it would be stolen, as I do not believe that Bowser has the means to gain access to the Dream World and steal it," said Dreambert.

"You can never be too sure about certain things. Life is full of surprises," Yuugiri said to him.

The group then made their way to the top of the staircase. It actually took a while due to the large amount of steps, so much that Mario found himself panting in fatigue. Lily and Yuugiri, due to being zombies, couldn't feel tired, so they were still in good condition. Dreambert simply floated.

"Almost... there..." said Mario in between panting.

"Being alive has disadvantages at times, huh?" Dreamy Lily said to him. "Need a lift of some kind? I can whip up something!"

"Neva mind. We're almost there, but-a thanks for da offa," Mario said to him.

They continued up the staircase until they finally reached the top. "We are here," said Dreambert. "I only hope that the Sup..." He didn't finish speaking, as he saw some other people up there, standing next to the altar that contained a silver breastplate with a purple crystal embedded in the center of it.

Mario saw who they were and said in shock, "Lemmy! Iggy! Wendy!"

Sure enough, the three aforementioned Koopalings were there in front of the altar. "Mario! I knew you would be coming!" Iggy said to them.

"Too bad for you! We beat you here first, so finders keepers!" said Wendy while pointing to the silver breastplate.

With a look of anger on his face, Dreambert asked them, "How did you villains come here? I demand an answer immediately!"

"Heheh! If you think we cannot get here without sleeping on your kind, then you're wrong!" Iggy told him. "Kamek was smart enough to whip up an alternative in the form of a magical pillow that grants the same effects as sleeping on a Pi'illo! In fact, it's even better than the real thing, because you don't have to sleep on a Dreampoint to access this place!"

"How is that possible?!" asked Dreambert in shock.

"Magic is like technology! It improves with age, and people are always coming up with new stuff for it all the time!" explained Iggy while adjusting his glasses. "Sleeping on Pi'illos to get into Dream Worlds is outdated! There are more than one way to come here now!"

"No matta what! I won't-a let you take da armor!" Mario angrily said to them. He charged at them, but Lemmy got in front of him and created clones of himself, blocking his way. Mario came to a stop in surprise. "Mamamia!"

"Haha! Surprised?" asked Lemmy as he jumped playfully with his clones.

"He can do the same thing as me? Does that mean he's the one sleeping?" asked Dreamy Lily.

"That is the only answer. I cannot believe that they found a way to access the Dream World without sleeping on my kind!" said Dreambert in disbelief.

Iggy picked up the sivler breastplate and said, "The last piece of the Superstar Armor Set is ours! Lord Bowser will be pleased!"

"Oh no you don't-a!" said Mario as he attempted to jump over the row of Lemmy clones, but Dreamy Lemmy had the clones stack on top of each other at the speed equivalent to the blink of an eye, blocking Mario and making him fall to the ground. "Oof!"

"Haha! You cannot get past me!" taunted Dreamy Lemmy.

"Ya think?" said Dream Lily angrily before duplicating himself and charging Dreamy Lemmy and his clones. The Koopaling and his army charged forward as well, and both sides began beating up each other nonstop violently.

However, the Lemmy clones were better fighters than the Lily clones, and they were able to destroy all of them in no time, leaving only the real Lily. "Haha! You're lame!" taunted Dreamy Lemmy, sticking out his tongue at the zombie, which made the latter angry.

The Koopaling was suddenly kicked by Mario in the face and sent back onto the ground. This caused all the clones to disappear.

"Let me deal with him!" said Wendy as she stepped forward with her wand.

Dreamy Lemmy sat back up and stopped Wendy, however. "No, wait. There's one more thing I want to do first!"

Dreamy Lemmy then closed his eyes as if he was concentrating on thinking of something. He began glowing and floated into the air, and when Mario saw this, he became worried while taking some steps back. "I have a bad feeling about-a theez..." he said.

"What's... What's happening to him...?" asked a somewhat scared Lily.

Out of seemingly nowhere, metal parts appeared and began circling the floating and glowing Dreamy Lemmy, much to the surprise of the others. The metal pieces then closed in on him, and then there was a bright flash that blinded everyone.

When the light died down, Dreamy Lemmy was no longer there. Instead, there was a gigantic robot standing next to the altar. It had the head of a Koopa Clown Car and a body seemingly consisting of one long and large warp pipe, and its limbs were long and thin, ending with white, gloved hands. Dreamy Lemmy in side the cockpit on the head.

The good guy were shocked when they saw this. "Mamamia!" gasped Mario.

"It's huge!" commented Yuugiri.

"All right! That's awesome!" said Iggy in excitement.

"Nice!" commented Wendy.

The giant robot turned to look at the horrified good guys, and Dreamy Lemmy said as it raised one fist, "Take this!" The fist came crashing down onto the good guys, who ran for their lives. The fist hit the ground so hard that the latter was shattered, and the good guys were sent flying into the air and off the edge.

They screamed as they fell through the air, and in her desperation, Dreamy Lily created multiple clones of himself that gathered around Yuugiri and Mario until they were covered within "Lily balls." When they hit the ground below, the Lily clones scattered all over the place and disappeared in magical sparkles. Yuugiri and Mario were both saved from the great fall because of this.

Dreamy Lily, on the other hand, lost all his limbs and head from hitting the ground. Fortunately, they didn't fly far, so Yuugiri hurriedly picked them up and reassembled the young zombie. "Lady Lily, are you all right?" Yuugiri asked him.

"I'm all right..." replied Dreamy Lily. "How about you?" Yuugiri told him she was all right.

The giant robot then stomped in their direction, and this time, Iggy and Wendy were also inside the cockpit. "C'mon! Let's play together now that I have an awesome toy!" said Lemmy.

"Yeah! Show them who's boss!" said Iggy.

Horrified, the good guys ran for their lives and tried to avoid the robot's giant feet as it tried to stomp them. "You must use your powers to the fullest, Lady Lily!" Dreambert told the young zombie. "Sir Luigi was able to make great use of his Dreamy powers to become a giant! I believe you can do the same!"

"How do I do that?!" cried Lily.

"Concentrate hard! Focus! Unleash the potential of the Dream World!" Dreambert told him.

* * *

Back in the real world, Lily was thrashing quite a bit on the Dreampoint with a look of terror on his face as he slept. "What's... What's happening to her...?" asked a confused and worried Saki.

"She must've encountered something terrible in there," replied Luigi.

"Is there anything we can do?" asked Saki.

"Try to comfort her," suggested Luigi. "Things that happen outta here may also affect da Dream World. Give her some words of encouragements!"

Saki then tapped Lily on the shoulder and said to him, "Pull it together, Shrimpy! Whatever is it you're facing, don't be scared and don't give up! Face it like a man! I mean... Face it like you're the bravest girl in the world!"

* * *

Back in the Dream World, Lily felt as if he heard Saki talking to him, giving him words of encouragement. Yuugiri was also telling Lily to try his best in pulling off what Dreambert told him to do, and Mario said to the same as well. "Luigi wuz able to pull eet off whenever these situations occurred," Mario told him. "I'm sure you can do eet as well! You have to believe in da power of dreams!"

Seeing that everyone was rooting for him, Lily told himself, "I have to pull myself together! I'm the only person here now who can do something! Saki must be rooting for me back in the real world, which is probably why I'm hearing her voice here! Okay, I have to do it!"

He closed his eyes and concentrated as hard as he could in thinking of becoming a giant. As he did so, the star accessory on his head began to glow. Seeing this, Dreambert said in surprise, "It's working! Lady Lily is unleashing her full power!"

"I knew you can do it, Lady Lily!" said Yuugiri happily.

Dreamy Lily floated into the air while as his whole body began to glow, and then several clones of Lily flew in from nowhere and "crashed" into him, and they disappeared into the ball of light that he had become. The ball of flight that "exploded" in a bright flash, blinding everyone and making him or her move back.

When the light died down, the good guys looked and were in awe at what they saw. Standing before them was a giant-sized Lily as big as the robot Dreamy Lemmy created. His current attire was that of a green tracksuit with a white skirt, and he also wore a white and green helmet with a black see-through visor. His twin ponytails were sticking out of openings at the sides of the helmet, and his star accessory was in front of it.

"I can't believe it...!" said Yuugiri in disbelief.

"Wow! Mamamia!" said Mario in surprise.

"Incredible! You have done well, Lady Lily!" Dreambert said to him.

Lily struck some poses and said, "Behold!

* * *

TO BE CONTINUED

The attire Lily is wearing is the "Power Ranger" costume the zombies are seen wearing in the opening of the anime. Lemmy's robot is inspired by his boss fight in Yoshi's Safari.

I originally wanted the battle between the two giants to happen in this chapter, but seeing how it's already been a while since the last update, I've decided to save this for the next chapter.

Hope you're all right with that...


	27. Dream Big

The second season of Zombie Land Saga has been announced! Zombie Land Saga Revenge!

Great day for ZLS fan out there! I'm not expecting it to air this year, but I'm at least expecting a proper trailer to come out this year.

**Chapter 27  
Dream Big**

* * *

**BGM: Size Up Your Enemy (Mario Luigi: Dream Team)**

Previously, Dreamy Lemmy had used his powers in the Dream World to build himself a giant robot in which he, Iggy, and Wendy were currently riding in. Likewise, Dreamy Lily used such a power to give himself an edge over the Koopaling's machine of mass of destruction by changing himself into a giant and dressed like some sort of Power Ranger-esque superhero.

Making a bunch of stylish poses, Dreamy Lily said to the robot, "In the name of justice, I shall strike you down with the power of love, peace, light, idols, and zombies! Be prepared to meet your end!"

"Haha! What are you? Ten years old? Your childishness will be the end of you!" laughed Iggy.

"My robot is better than you! You will lose! Haha!" said Dreamy Lemmy.

"Evil never wins! It's fact!" said Dreamy Lily. The two giants then charged at each other, with the robot throwing a punch. Lily sidestepped it and then punched the giant machine in the head, knocking the whole thing back some steps. He closed in on the robot again to throw another punch, but the latter caught his fist and flung him to the side.

"Oh no you don't!" said Dreamy Lemmy.

Seeing Lemmy fall to the ground, Yuugiri said in shock, "Lady Lily!"

"You can do eet! Don't lose!" Mario cheered for the giant zombie.

Dreamy Lily got back up as if nothing happened, since he can't feel pain. "It'll take a lot more than that to take me down!" he said to the villains. He then performed a somersault jump into the air before attacking with a flying kick. "Take this! Shooting Star Kick!"

The robot stepped out of the way with ease and then struck the zombie in the head with a lariat attack using its arm. The arm struck his head with such a force that he was decapitated. "Haha! Right in the head!" laughed Wendy.

"Heads off! Haha!" laughed Iggy.

Lily's head fell to the ground, and the body also fell on its back. The good guys were shocked and feared that he would be put at an advantage without his head. To their surprise, the head floated into the air by itself.

"I told you it's gonna take more than that to kill me!" said the floating head with a smirk.

"What the?!" asked Iggy in shock.

The head then charged at the robot, headbutting it in the cockpit hard and making the whole thing take some steps back.

Dreamy Lily's headless body also got back and then charged at the robot, punching it in the same place to knock it on its back. The head then flew over to the body to reattach itself, and then Dreamy Lily jumped into the air while spinning and then fell towards the fallen robot. "Shooting Star Stomp!"

Seeing this, Dreamy Lemmy got the robot to roll out of the way in time, and Dreamy Lily landed with such a force that a crater was created. The robot stood back up and transformed its hands into gatling gun turrets before firing bullets nonstop at the giant zombie. Dream Lily held up his arms as the bullets struck him all over the body, creating various holes.

The good guys were shocked and worried for Lily, but when the firing stopped, Lily revealed himself to be unharmed, despite being dotted with holes all over his body.

"How is she all right?!" gasped Wendy with widened eyes.

"Impossible!" said Iggy.

"That's because I'm a zombie! Get that into your head!" replied Dreamy Lily before charging at the robot. She grabbed its shoulders, and both sides began wrestling against each other and moving from place to place nonstop, and they would occasionally throw punches into each other's face.

As they continued to struggle against each other, Dreamy Lemmy's robot was eventually able to twist Dream Lily's head off the body and then fling it away. The head floated up before it even touched the ground and flew to the robot, headbutting it in the side hard. The body then threw several punches to the robot, knocking it back several steps.

The headless body then caught the head and, as if throwing a baseball, threw it at the robot, striking it hard in its pipe-like body. The robot didn't fall over, and its riders were now angry. "Don't you have a stronger firepower?!" Iggy asked Dreamy Lemmy.

"I'll whip up a big laser gun!" replied the latter.

"Should've done that right off the bat!" Wendy said to him.

The front part of the robot's body opened, and a pipe-like gun came out and changed form until it was actually wider than the body. The turret then charged up blue energy while taking aim at Dreamy Lily.

"Taking out the big gun now, eh?" asked Dreamy Lily. "Normally, I'd be smart enough to charge straight at you and interrupt you while you are charging up, but instead, I'm going to pull of a neat trick to counter you instead!"

"Counter this, then!" said Dreamy Lemmy as he finished charging the laser to fire it at him.

As the laser approached Dreamy Lily, he hurriedly thrust his chest forward, and in doing so caused his exposed heart to suddenly grow in size, almost as big as his entire body.

The beam struck the enlarged heart and failed to pierce through it or even burn it. It was as if the beam struck something impenetrable and constantly burned in vain against it. The most it did was push Lily back quite a few feet, but the zombie did his best to hold his place.

"Mamamia!" commented Mario in awe.

"Incredible job, Lady Lily!" commented Yuugiri.

Dream Lily kept on defending himself against the laser until the robot finally ran out of power to keep on firing, and the zombie shrunk his heart back to normal while panting heavily. "I... I did it...!" he told himself.

"What?! How is that possible?!" gasped Iggy.

"No way!" said Dreamy Lemmy in shock.

Dreamy Lily then wasted no time in pointing his fist at the robot, and then the fist was detached from his arm and shot itself at the robot at a fast speed, hitting it hard in the cockpit. "Rocket Punch!"

The fist flew back to Dreamy Lily afterwards, and then he ran up to the robot to began punching and kicking it nonstop, not giving it the chance to fight back. All the while, the good guys cheered for him to win the battle.

The robot took heavy damage from the constant beating, and pieces of its exterior was getting chipped away. The whole thing was even beginning to short-circuit. Thinking that it's time to finish things, Dreamy Lily removed the star accessory from his helmet and then jumped into the air while spinning. "Lily Shooting Star!" He threw the star as if it was a shuriken at the robot.

SLAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAASH!

**BGM Ends**

The star sliced through the robot's body cleanly, and then the whole thing fell to the ground.

CRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAASH!

"YES! HE DID-A EET!" exclaimed Mario.

"Congratulations, Lady Lily!" Yuugiri said to the giant zombie.

"That was most incredible, Lady Lily!" Dreambert said to him. "You have greatly surprised me!"

Dreamy Lily turned to his friend and smiled while giving them a peace sign. The good guys then rushed over to the cockpit to see Dreamy Lemmy, Iggy, and Wendy crawling out of it, and they could see the Superstar Armor as well. Mario snatched it out of their grasps and said, "Theez eez ours!"

"Argh! I can't believe we lost to you!" said Iggy angrily.

"You meanie! I can still fight!" Dreamy Lemmy angrily said to them.

"You want a piece of me again?" the gigantic Lily asked them while staring down at them.

The three villains looked up and were shocked to see him, and then Wendy said, "Perhaps we should call things off for now..."

"Yeah... I agree..." said Iggy, and Dreamy Lemmy nodded as well. The three then hurriedly ran away from the place while crying for help.

"They have learned their lesson, it seems," said Yuugiri.

"Good-a thing they didn't get da armor!" said Mario while holding up the chest plate.

"Indeed, and we should take it back to the real world for safe keeping," suggested Dreambert. They turned to Dream Lily to see him shrinking back down, and his outfit also changed back to normal.

"How'd I do?" he asked with a huge smile on his face.

"You did a wonderful job, Lady Lily!" Yuugiri said to him while petting his head, which made him blush.

"Wonderful job! I didn't expect-a you to theez good!" Mario said to him. "You're as good-a as Luigi when he did-a theez!"

* * *

Back in the real world, Saki, Tae, and Luigi were still looking at the sleeping Lily and waiting for the others to return. Eventually, Yuugiri and Mario jumped out of the dream portal above Lily, and the latter was holding the chest plate in his hands. Lily then woke up and sat up, while Dreambert changed back from his pillow form.

"We are back," said Dreambert.

"Welcome back! I see that you did it, huh?" asked Saki while looking at the armor.

"You won't believe what I did in there!" Lily said to her with excitement. "You really should've been there to see it!"

"What happened?" asked a curious Saki.

Suddenly, Roy rushed out of seemingly nowhere along with Ludwig and rammed into Mario, knocking him onto the ground and also making him drop the chest plate. Ludwig then picked up the chest plate and said, "I got it! Now let's get out of here!"

He ran out of the shrine with Roy, who taunted the good guys while doing so. "What da?! Where did they come from?!" asked Luigi in shock.

"And they got the armor!" said Lily.

"It seems that they were hiding here all this time to snatch the armor away from us in case we brought it back to the real world! I cannot believe that I did not foresee this tactic coming from them!" said Dreambert in shock.

"They're not getting away with it!" said Saki angrily. "Let's go, Tae!" She then ran after the Koopalings with the mindless zombie running on all fours.

* * *

Not too far from the shrine, Lemmy was seen sleeping on a rock with a flat surface, on a blue pillow with a pattern of various shapes printed on it. Iggy and Wendy jumped out of the dream portal above him, and then he woke up. "Darn it! We lost the armor to Mario! I can't believe this!" said Iggy angrily.

"Though I'm sure Ludwig and Roy managed to ambush them in the shrine," said Wendy. "Good thing Ludwig thought about this beforehand!"

"Yeah, I'm sure those two managed to steal the armor already, so our efforts didn't come to naught!" said Iggy.

* * *

Ludwig and Roy ran as fast as they could out of the jungle and to the beach, heading for the water. Behind them, Saki and Tae were giving chase. The two Koopalings looked back, and Roy said, "Those two are fast!"

"Get back here at once!" Saki angrily shouted at them.

Ludwig looked up ahead and saw a submarine there that had the picture of Bowser printed on one side. "We're almost there!" he said. The two turtles kept on running until they got close to the submarine, and then they jumped onto it and into the hatch.

Once in there, Ludwig commanded the Rocky Wrenches to start the engines and take off immediately. One of the Rocky Wrenches was going to start the engines when he suddenly received an error message on the screen telling him that the hatch wasn't closed.

Everyone looked back and were surprised to see Saki and Tae dropping down into the submarine. "Too slow!" said the former with a smirk while punching her palm.

"How dare you come in here without our permission?!" said Roy angrily.

"What are you going to do about it?" Saki asked him.

"Teach you a lesson, obvioulys!" said Ludwig. "Let's out you back into your graves, shall we?"

**BGM: A Boy and his Ludship, Ludwig Battle (Paper Mario: Color Splash)**

Roy charged straight at the two zombies, who got out of the way, so he crashed into a wall instead. "Ha! Classic!" said Saki while looking at Roy, who fell on his back.

Ludwig readied to fire something from his wand at her, but Saki pounced at him and hit his arm. "Hey! That hurts! Let go!" shouted the turtle angrily while trying to get her off. He kept on hitting her head with his wand until she let go, and then he released an explosion from his wand that propelled her away.

"Hey! No one hurts my friend without my permission!" said Saki angrily as she charged at Ludwig and punched him across the face. The Koopaling recovered and fired a magical blast, but she dodged it and closed in on him again to throw another punch.

Tae was watching those two fight when Roy suddenly grabbed her from behind. "Gotcha!" he said.

Tae let out a cry and then spun in circles multiple times, sending Roy for a spin. Roy soon got dizzy from the spinning and let go of her, flying into another wall as a result. Tae then pounced at him and pounded him with her fists nonstop.

Saki continued to punch and kick Ludwig, not giving him the chance to fight back. Ludwig was knocked back several steps and groaned in pain, and then he shouted for the Rocky Wrenches to do something about her. The moles responded by throwing wrenches at her. Saki dodged some, but some still managed to hit her, yet she showed no signs of pain whatsoever. She caught one of them and threw it back at a Rocky Wrench, knocking him out and shattering his shades.

She was then hit in the body by a magical blast by Ludwig and blown away. The turtle laughed at her before creating two clones of himself. "Can you guess which is the real me?" he asked her.

"Sure! Easy enough!" replied Saki, and then she shouted for Tae, who was still beating up Roy, to find out the real one. Tae stopped what she was doing and stared at the three Ludwig for a few seconds before charging at one of them, and that one responded in surprise. Tae pounced onto the real Ludwig and beat him rapidly, and the clones disappeared. "Don't underestimate Tae's instinct when it comes to these sort of things!" said Saki.

"Argh! That does it!" shouted Roy angrily as he stood back up. He then pulled out a bazooka out of seemingly nowhere. "You're all going to die for real!"

"Master Roy! You shouldn't be using that here!" one of the Rocky Wrenches told him.

Roy didn't care, however, and fired a Bullet Bill at the zombies. Saki avoided it, and Tae spun around with Ludwig in her hands to use him as shield. An explosion occurred when the Bullet Bill hit its target. He was blown back along with Tae, and while the latter was all right, he was charred badly.

Saki charged at Roy and caught his bazooka before he could fire it again, and both sides struggled to gain ownership of the weapon. The turret was aimed all over the place while this happened, and in the ensuing struggle, Roy accidentally pulled the trigger, firing a Bullet Bill at the control panel and destroying it. This made the Rocky Wrenches horrified.

The two kept on fighting over the bazooka, and another Bullet Bill was fired, this time creating a hole on one of the walls and causing water to pour in. Now everyone was horrified.

Saki pulled the bazooka out of Roy's hands and then smacked his head with it to knock him out, and then she looked around in panic for the chest plate. When she was it lying on the floor, she rushed over to pick it up and shouted for Tae to get out of here fast.

**BGM Ends**

While everyone else was panicking and wondering what to do, Saki and Tae headed for the hatch and got out. The two zombies got out before the submarine sank into the sea. Arriving on the shore, where their friends were, Saki waved at them with a large smile on her face and also held up the chest plate.

"Sister Saki did it!" exclaimed Lily.

"Way to go!" commented Mario.

"I am impressed! I did not expect you to succeed!" said Dreambert.

As Saki and Tae were returning to them, something suddenly swooped down from above and snatched the chest plate away, and this made Saki fall into the shallow water.

Everyone looked up in surprise to see Bowser Jr. flying in the air in his Koopa Clown Car, which was holding the armor with a mechanical hand. "Haha! The armor is ours!" taunted the young turtle.

"Why you?! Give that back!" shouted Saki angrily.

"Dad is gonna be happy about this! See you later, alligator!" said Bowser Jr. before flying off into the distance.

The others could do nothing but watch him fly off farther and farther. Saki stomped the sand and said in anger, "Darn it! How can this be?! We fought so hard for it, and now the bad guys won again!"

"What a waste..." said Yuugiri in disappointment.

"Theez means Bowsa haz all da armor pieces... What will happen now...?" asked a concerned Luigi.

While they were saying all this, one could see Ludwig, Roy, and the Rocky Wrenches emerging from the sea and hurriedly slipping away onto the shore. The good guys didn't notice them.

"This would mean Bowser now has the ability to access the Superstar Armor's full power..." replied a worried Dreambert.

"What will become of him?" asked Lily.

"The armor will grant him tremendous powers and make him pretty much invincible," replied Dreambert. "If we are unable to stop him from wearing it, then I am afraid that the Rainbow Spear is the only thing capable of stopping him now."

"Fortunately, we have that-a with us, so that-a eez not an issue!" said Mario. "We can definitely still win against Bowsa so long as we have that-a!"

Dreambert nodded. "Indeed. It is a good thing we have the spear, or else victory will be slim. Hurry! We must make haste back to my castle and see if the Rainbow Spear is safe and sound.

* * *

TO BE CONTINUED

The good guys didn't win this time, but this is for the best, or else the climax won't be fun at all. Hope you look forward to things as the story finally enters the the third act!


	28. Superstar Power

Sorry for the wait... My computer broke down and needed fixing, and there were also some frustrating things happening in life that took away my motivation too. Either way, here's the next chapter!

Also, the submarine in the previous chapter is the same one from Mario 64's Dire Dire Docks.

**Chapter 28  
Superstar Power**

* * *

Mario and co. returned to Pi'illo Castle to report to the others about their mission failure. Needless to say, they were all shocked to hear this.

"What... What do we do...?" asked a worried Sakura.

"There is still the Rainbow Spear that can be used to resolve this," Dreambert reminded her.

"The spear is in safe hands," Toadsworth told him. "Only problem is if it has lost its powers after all this time... I'm no expert in this matter, though."

"Do not worry; the Rainbow Spear will not lose its power," Dreambert told him. "No matter how many years have passed, it will always have the power used for countering the Superstar Armor set. Come, we shall go and try out the power of the spear at once."

* * *

No sooner afterwards, the Rainbow Spear was taken outside the castle in order to test out its powers. It was a beautiful-looking spear with a handle made of metal that came in the seven colors of the rainbow, and the spearhead was made of a rainbow-colored crystal that glittered brightly against the sunny sky.

"Wow! It looks even more beautiful under the sun!" commented Sakura.

Mario, who was holding up the spear, swung it around to see how heavy it was. It was surprisingly light, given its height of almost two meters.

"Use it in whatever way you can think of, Mario," Dreambert told him. "Realize what it is capable of."

Mario nodded, and then he thought for a while before thrusting it against the air. Nothing much happened other than a bright aura appearing around the spearhead when he did so, which made it seem that this thrust would do major damage if it hit someone. This still impressed them. "Did you see that just now?" Sakura asked the others.

Mario then thrust the spear against the air several times, and the same "aura" appeared around the spearhead. Because he was doing it fast continuously, the aura was more notable, which impressed the others even more. Mario then swung the weapon around in the air, even though spears weren't made for this, and it behind colorful and glittering trails of energy when the spearhead sliced through the air.

Mario also thrust the spear against the ground. This created a shockwave that also propelled him into the air as if he was using a pogo stick. This impressed the others again. "Wow! That was cool!" commented Saki.

Mario landed and then decided to throw the spear. He threw it quite a distance, but not so far so that getting it back would be time consuming. After it hit the ground, Mario was going to pick it up, but Dreambert told him to point his hand at it instead. The former did so, and to everyone's surprise, the spear shook a bit before flying back to his hand by itself!

"Mamamia!" commented the plumber. "Theez eez amazing!"

"I am sure there is much more the spear can do," Dreambert told him. "Practice using it, and you will be able to stop Bowser!"

* * *

Aboard his airship, Bowser was looking with excitement at all the Superstar Armor pieces that had been collected by his subordinates. "Yes! I have them all at last!" he said. "Great job, everyone!"

"Glad to be of help, dad!" Bowser Jr. said to him.

"I recommend that you try it on now, Your Majesty," Kamek suggested to Bowser. " Only then will we know what power it possesses!"

"You don't have to say that! I'm trying them all right now!" said Bowser as he happily put the armor pieces on. Each of the pieces readjusted themselves so that they could fit onto his body. The back side of the chest plate somehow went underneath his shell, much like how Bowser was able to wear a wedding suit and let it go underneath his shell.

After putting on the armor parts, Bowser waited for something to happen. "Huh? Nothing's happening," he said. "I..." Before he could finish speaking, the armor parts began glowing, much to everyone's surprise. "Whoa!"

"What's happening?!" asked Larry.

"The effect of the armor must be taking place!" said Iggy.

Bowser kept on glowing until he could no longer be seen due to the brightness, and everyone had to cover his or her eyes because of this.

The light eventually died down, and everyone opened his or her eyes to see what had happened to Bowser. What they saw surprised them. "Whoa..."

The Superstar Armor had basically become a silver robotic suit that enveloped Bowser entirely, giving him an appearance almost indistinguishable from an actual robot, one with a knight-like motif. Even his face was obscured behind an intimidating face plate modeled after his own, and yellow light was coming out of the eye slits. The mouth of the face plate was always open, though one couldn't see Bowser's actual mouth or face inside. All one could see was darkness, or perhaps a black inner shell of sorts.

Even his shell was covered in armor completely, right down to the spikes.

The crystal embedded in front of the chest plate was still there, giving off bright purple light.

Bowser looked at his new armored form and said, "So this is what I've become? Looking good!" His voice had a sinister echo to it. Kamek produced a mirror and showed it it to him so that he could get a better look at his whole self. "Good! I like it! Let's hope this isn't just looks! Let's head to the Mushroom Kingdom and see what I'm capable of!"

All the other gave a loud shout of agreement in unison.

* * *

Back on Pi'illo Island, Mario was still practicing with the Rainbow Spear, trying to figure out everything it could do, while the others watched, when a Toad came rushing over to them. "Big news, princess!" he said to Peach in panic. "A live news report is currently talking about something big going on in the Mushroom Kingdom! It's about Bowser!"

They were surprised to hear this, so they wasted no time in rushing over into Pi'illo Castle to watch the news using a public television there.

Several people were gathered in front of the TV, watching the shocking news that was going on. The screen showed Mushroom City in ruins. Buildings were destroyed, and people were badly injured and even dead.

The cause of this destruction was none other than Bowser, clad in the Superstar Armor. The armored turtle was using his newfound powers received from wearing the armor to destroy the place. He displayed tremendous strength that allowed him to lift things heavier than he originally could. It also increased his movement speed somehow.

Other than that, he was also able to generate energy from his hands and fire them as projectiles to destroy things. The police and even the military were trying to stop him, but their attacks weren't doing anything to him.

All the while, news reporters and cameramen were reporting on this while avoiding his attacks. According to them, close to hundreds of people were killed already, one of them being the renowned critic Fatt Lardd.

The people watching the news were shocked at the scene of destruction going on. "This is horrible!" gasped Peach.

"Mamamia! Bowser eez so scary now!"

The zombies were horrified at what they saw, and Saki said in anger, "That bastard! How dare he do something like this?! We have to stop him!"

"Indeed we must-a!" said Mario in agreement with a look of anger. "Bowsa has gone too far! We have to stop-a him before eet'z too late!"

Bowser then noticed the person recording him, and he said to the onlookers, "Ha look! A camera! Just what I'm looking for! Mario, are you watching this? If so, then I dare you to come over to Mushroom Kingdom and settle a score with me! If you don't within an hour, I will destroy Mushroom Kingdom! If you lose to me, I will destroy Mushroom Kingdom as well! In fact, I'm confident that I can no longer lose to you because of my newfound powers! Come and try your worst against me! Bwahaha!"

All eyes turned to Mario when the turtle called out to him. "You're... You're going back to face him?" Junko asked him.

Mario nodded. "There eez no otha option. I must-a stop him in orda to save da Mushroom Kingdom!"

"I have confidence that you can succeed, Mario," Peach told him. "The fate of the Mushroom Kingdom rests in your hands!"

"Then let's head back to the Mushroom Kingdom fast!" suggested Toad. "Good thing Pi'illo Island isn't far from here."

"Indeed, we must return at once," said Peach.

"Princess, you should stay here until the crisis is resolved," Toadsworth suggested to her. "Let Master Mario and perhaps Master Luigi deal with this." Luigi had a shocked look while pointing at himself when he heard this.

"No, I am going there," Peach told him. "The country needs a ruler like me to guide them at times like this, no matter how dangerous the situation is for me. I will go back to the Mushroom Kingdom and put order back in place!"

"But it's dangerous!" Toadsworth told her, but Peach kept on insisting that she wanted to go back. "All right, then I am going along! I may not be able to do much in a situation like this, but being at the princess's side is my job, even if I have to die because of this!"

"We're going back as well! I'm sure we will be of help in some way!" said Saki.

"I don't think that's a good idea for us..." said Ai.

"Everyone else is going back, so we might as well tag along," said Yuugiri, agreeing with what Saki said.

"Maybe we'll just stay in somewhere safe," thought Sakura.

And so, it was decided that all the folks from the Mushroom Kingdom would return to the country and deal with Bowser.

* * *

Peach's plane traveled at its fastest speed, and it didn't take too long for it to arrive at Mushroom Kingdom's airport. The group then wasted no time in taking a bus to Mushroom City. On the way there, they could see several vehicles leaving the city in an attempt to flee from the destruction going on there.

Because of this, the traffic jam was severe, so much that some people ran on foot instead, and the policemen were having a hard time trying to keep things in order.

"I'm afraid we can't move on from here," the bus driver told his passengers.

"Don't-a worry; I'll go on foot!" said Mario as he picked up the spear and readied to leave the bus. He turned to the others and said, "You stay here. I'll go and deal with Bowsa!"

"Please be careful, Mario," Peach told him in concern.

"You can do eet, bro!" Luigi told him.

"I know you can do it, Master Mario! No matter what Bowser has at his disposal, you can always beat him, like always!" Toadsworth told him with confidence

"Please be careful, Mister Mario!" Sakura told the plumber. "We're all rooting for you!" The other zombies said the same.

Mario nodded and thanked them for their support, and then he got off the bus and ran through the crowd to get to the city.

As she watched Mario leave, Saki began to look rather annoyed and impatient. She suddenly said out loud, "No way I'm sitting here while I let him do everything! I'm following him!"

"Saki?! What are you talking about?!" Sakura asked her. The latter didn't give a response but instead rushed out of the bus to follow Mario. "Saki!"

"That fool! She's going to get herself into trouble!" said Ai.

Tae got up and followed Saki as well, despite Sakura telling the former not to do so. Lily then stood up, "Lily wants to see for herself the epic battle too!" She then followed the mindless zombie, and Yuugiri tagged along as well.

"Why... Why are they following her?!" asked Junko.

"How are they going to be of any help?! This isn't like last time, where we have forms of power ups to help!" said Ai. "We won't be able to help at all this time around!"

"I'm going as well!" said Sakura as she stood up from her seat. "If the others are going, then I'm tagging along! It doesn't feel right to sit back and do nothing while our friends join in on the battle!"

"But Sakura! What can you do?!" Ai asked her.

"I'm sure I can think of something!" replied the latter before leaving the bus.

Ai, Junko, and the others on the bus were dumbfounded to see the decision those zombies had taken. Ai growled in frustration as she stood up and said, "Ugh... I can't believe I'm doing this...! Let's go, Junko!"

"What?! You're going too?!" asked the white-haired zombie in shock.

Ai nodded before leaving the bus. Junko continued to hesitate, and then she stood up and followed Ai. Seeing that the zombies had left, Luigi said to himself, "They're all going, despite knowing that can't do anything... And here I am... What am I doing with my life?!" He then stood up and ran after them. "Wait for me!"

The other passengers remained on the bus, watching them leave. "They're gone..." said Toadsworth.

"I'm sure they'll be fine," said Peach with confidence.

* * *

Bowser was still destroying things, while his subordinates watched from close by. "Haha! This is great!" said Bowser as he formed balls of electricity in his hands and hurled them at random buildings to destroy portions of them. "I feel like a god! No matter can stop me this time!"

"You're so awesome, dad!" said Bowser Jr. with delight.

"You can defeat Mario for sure this time, Your Nastiness!" Kamek said to the Koopa king.

"Yeah! I'd like to see Mario try his worst against you this time!" said Iggy.

"I can't wait for him to show up and see how badly he fails!" said Roy.

Bowser continued to try out his powers. He fired a pair of red eyes beams out of his eyes at a nearby car and blew it to pieces. After that, he slammed his fist onto the pavement to send forth an energy wave that cleared away everything in its path.

He laughed happily at the power he obtained. "Come out, Mario!" he shouted. "Come out and face me, or else this place gets destroyed and then I go on to take over all of Mushroom Kingdom! On second thought, I might as well do that now, because I don't see how you can take me down like this!"

"Bowsa!" shouted someone loudly. Everyone turned to see Mario standing on top of an overturned truck with a look of anger on his face and the Rainbow Spear in his hand. "Theez eez as far as you go!"

"Mario! You must be either very brave or dumb to come here after seeing me on TV!" Bowser said to him. "Are you ready to die?"

"You're going down, Bowsa! I'll do whateva eet takes to defeat-a you!" Mario said to him as he jumped off the truck.

Bowser slowly approached him and said, "Very well! It's your grave! You only have yourself to blame for challenging me!"

As the two approached each other, Luigi and the zombies looked up from behind the overturned truck. "You can do eet, Mario!" Luigi called out to him.

"We're rooting for you, Mister Mario! You can do it!" Sakura shouted at him.

"Go and kill him, Mario! Give him all you've got!" said Saki.

Both sides cheered for their respective fighters. The final battle was about to begin.

* * *

TO BE CONTINUED

Well, here we are at the final battle of the story. This also means the story is ending soon, probably two or three chapters left. I hope you look forward to things!


	29. Clash in the City

**Chapter 29  
Clash in the City**

* * *

The atmosphere was tense as Mario and Bowser stared down at each other from their positions, while the people on their sides cheered for their respective fighters.

**BGM: Final Battle - Phase 2 (Mario & Luigi: Paper Jam)**

"Are you ready to die, Mario? This time, victory is mines!" Bowser said to him with confidence.

"I wouldn't be sure eef I were you," Mario said to him.

"Haha! You can regret over your arrogance once you go to afterlife!" Bowser said to him before charging up a ball of enery and shooting it at him. Mario instead thrust the Rainbow Spear at the incoming projectile and destroyed it, much to Bowser's surprise. "What the?!

Mario then charged at Bowser and used the spear as a vault pole to hurl himself into the air in the turtle's direction. He pointed the spear at Bowser as he fell towards him, and Bowser held up his arms for protection. A shockwave was released when the spearhead hit the gauntlet of the Superstar Armor, causing Bowser to fall flat on the pavement, while Mario bounced back and landed on his feet.

Getting back up, Bowser said in surprise, "How did you hit with that much power?! That shouldn't be possible!"

"You should've done your homework," Mario told him. "Da Rainbow Spear eez da counta to da Superstar Armor! With theez, I can defeat-a you!"

"Don't get so full of yourself! Just because you have a special stick doesn't mean you get a free victory! The armor I have is still superior to your weapon!" Bowser said as he charged up more energy balls in his hands to fire at Mario, who proceeded to either destroy them or dodge them. He swung the spear at one of the incoming projectiles and knocked it back to Bowser like a baseball, blowing him away.

Bowser's followers were shocked to see that their leader was getting knocked down by Mario, despite wearing an armor that should render him invincible. Mario's friends were amazed that the plumber was doing a fine job against him. "Yeah! Beat him up and show him hell, Mario!" cheered Saki while punching the air.

"You can do it!" cheered Lily while punching the air over and over.

"At this rate, Mario will surely win!" said Sakura with hope.

"Mario will win for sure! He definitely will!" said Luigi with confidence.

Mario ran to Bowser with the spear pointing at him and thrust it when close, but the latter stepped aside before swinging his claws at the plumber, to which the latter responded by holding up his spear to the side in time to block the attack. Mario backed away from him and thrust the weapon against the air to shoot an energy blast that struck Bowser in the chest, blowing him back into a street light, knocking it over.

Bowser angrily used the street light at a bludgeon against Mario, who jumped over its horizontal swing and fell towards Bowser with the spear pointing at him. Bowser got out of the way and swung the street light again, this time successfully hitting Mario and knocking him away, not to mention disarming him. The plumber's allies were shocked to see this.

"Haha! You're finished, Mario!" said Bowser with glee as he charged up an energy ball in his hand to throw at Mario. The latter hurriedly reached for the spear, but the energy ball struck the pavement in front of him and sent him and the spear flying in different directions. The spear landed near the overturned truck the zombies were hiding behind of.

Mario got up while groaning in pain and saw Bowser approaching him. "What can you do now, Mario? Without that weapon, you can't beat me, right? Haha! I told ya I would win!" said the turtle.

"Don't be so full of yourself, Bowsa!" Mario angrily said to him.

"You're the one who's full of yourself!" said Bowser before breathing rainbow-colored fire at him, and he jumped out of the way.

"Bowser! You're mine!" shouted someone. The turtle turned to see that Saki had picked up the spear and was running at him. Before he could react, the zombie thrust the spear against the crystal on the chest plate, creating a shockwave that propelled him backwards. Saki turned to Mario and asked if he was all right after that.

"I'm all right," Mario told her.

"You take a break. Let me have a piece of him!" said Saki as she glared at Bowser and got into a fighting stance.

Her friends watched from the same location, and Ai said, "Saki! She's too reckless!"

"She'll be fine! Saki is a good fighter, so I'm sure she knows what she's doing!" said Sakura with confidence.

Bowser glared at Saki and said, "You just have to be a thorn on my side, don't you?"

"I can say the same to you, always being a thorn on Mario and his friends' side!" replied the zombie.

"I'm going to make sure that you go back to your grave for real this time!" said Bowser before breathing colorful fire at her. She rolled out of the way and then rushed at him at a fast speed, thrusting the spear into his side to knock him away.

Bowser retained his footing and slammed his fist against the pavement to create an energy wave. Saki avoided it again and thrust her weapon against the air to shoot a projectile that made him take a step back. She then ran up to him and thrust with the spear rapidly against his body, hitting the crystal over and over and not giving him the chance to fight back.

As Bowser was getting pushed back by each hit, Tae suddenly pounced onto him from behind and hit him hard in the head. She was unable to bit through the tough armor, yet she persisted in doing this. Bowser roared in frustration as his body began flashing, and then a burst of energy came out from around him as he spread out his arms forcefully, causing the two zombies to fly off. Their bodies were also blown into pieces from the attack, which shocked their friends.

"Saki! Tae!" gasped Junko.

"Enough!" said Bowser angrily as he approached Saki's head, which was lying on the pavement. "I'll crush your brain underfoot!"

Before the former could get to her, Mario hurriedly rushed over to the spear and picked it up to confront him. "I'm your opponent, Bowsa!" he shouted at the turtle.

"Die, Mario!" said the turtle angrily as he turned to him and threw a punch. Mario thrust with his spear, and both sides collided to create a shockwave that caused all the small things lying around to be blown into the air.

The two continued to trade blows against each other and also avoid attacks, while onlookers watched intensely, wondering how things would turn out. Sakura and Yuugiri rushed over to Saki and Tae respectively to put their bodies back together. After being put back together, Saki thanked Sakura and then said, "We should help Mario somehow! I don't think he can do this alone!"

"I'm not sure if we can do anything..." said Sakura.

"Actually, I may have an idea," said Saki as she eyed a particular building, a store that sold various kinds of power-ups.

Sakura looked at it and said, "You don't mean...?"

Saki nodded. "I noticed it not too long ago. The last time we helped Mario storm Bowser's castle, we used power-ups, so we should do the same now too!" She stood up and told the other zombies and Luigi about it.

"You're not serious about this, are you...?" asked Ai, who looked unwilling.

"If I can help-a Mario in some way, then I'm willing!" said Luigi as he got out from behind the overturned truck.

"Lily agrees!" said Lily as he got out of the hiding spot to follow Luigi as well.

Yuugiri also got down and joined the others at the power-up store. Ai and Junko hesitated at first, but seeing how everyone else had went into the store, they decided to get out of their hiding place and follow them.

Mario and Bowser continued to clash against each other. The latter swung his fist against Mario over and over, and the plumber had to hold up his spear defensively to block them. After Mario was pushed back by a punch, he slammed his spear into the pavement to bounce himself into the air.

From midair, Mario thrust the spear hard to fire a blast of energy that struck Bowser, pushing him back several feet. The turtle came to a stop and growled angrily, and he was suddenly shot in the side of the head by a blast of electricity. He and Mario turned to see that it was fired by Saki, who now had electricity traveling throughout her body, and her scar was glowing with yellow light. With her hand pointing at Bowser, as she had just fired an electric blast at him, she said with a smirk. "How'd you like this? Shocking enough?"

Bowser growled angrily at him, and suddenly, a boulder came rolling towards him, much to his surprise. However, with a swing of fist, he was able to shatter it with ease. Tae came flying out of the boulder on all fours. She was wearing a helmet made of rock and had "rock plates" covering certain parts of her body, almost as if she was wearing some kind of medieval armor.

Luigi and the other zombies then stepped forward, standing alongside Saki and Tae.

Luigi was wearing green and yellow overalls and had a yellow construction helmet on his head. Wielding in his hand was a hammer.

Sakura had a pair of rabbit ears growing from her head.

Ai had spring coils wrapped around her arms, legs, and waist.

Junko had a white, cloud-like scarf around her neck and also wore a "skirt" made of cloud. She also had fluffy, white bracelets around her wrists.

Lily wore a blue penguin costume.

Yuugiri... didn't change at all. Not at all.

Bowser wasn't intimidated by them at all, however. "Ha! You think you can do something to me just because you got some power-ups?" Bowser said to them. "Don't make me laugh!"

"You're too full of yourself, and that will be your downfall!" said Saki as she charged up electricity in her hand and then fired another blast at him. Bowser blocked it with his hand.

Lily ran forward and began producing throwing snowballs at Bowser, which exploded into ice crystal when they hit him. While she was doing that, Sakura jumped high into the air thanks to her rabbit power-up and then hit Bowser in the forehead with a dive kick. Her kick did nothing, however, and she bounced back onto the pavement. Luigi then ran towards Bowser with his hammer held over his head while shouting a war cry, and he slammed it against his body, but he did nothing more than making Bowser's armor vibrate harmlessly.

Bowser laughed at their attempt at hurting him and then breathed rainbow-colored fire at them, and they ran out of the way. Mario ran at Bowser again and and slammed the tip of the spearhead against his body, creating a shockwave that pushed him back. "Your powers won't be able to hurt-a Bowsa! I appreciate your help, but let-a me deal with him!" Mario said to them.

"We're not letting you do this alone!" Saki told him.

"If you want to die so much, then I can grant you that!" said Bowser. He then turned to the Koopalings and told them to go after Luigi and the zombies.

"Haha! I've been waiting for an order like this!" said Roy happily.

"We'll definitely grant them the death they so desire, Lord Bowser!" said Ludwig.

**BGM Ends**

* * *

TO BE CONTINUED

This chapter was supposed to be much longer, about 4,000 words, but because it's been several days after the last update, I decided to cut the chapter in half and save the latter half, the battle against the Koopalings, for the next chapter. I apologize that things turned out this way...

Anyway, the zombies once again have power-ups! Saki is using the Volt Shroom from the Paper Mario series, Sakura is using the Carrot from Mario Land 2, Tae is using the Rock Mushroom, Ai is using the Spring Mushroom, Junko using the Cloud Flower, Lily using the Penguin Suit, Luigi using the Super Hammer from Mario Maker 2, and Yuugiri... You'll have to wait until next chapter to see what power-up Yuugiri is using! See if you can figure it out!


	30. The Fight Against the Koopalings

**Chapter 30  
The Fight Against the Koopalings**

* * *

**BGM: Adventure's End (Mario & Luigi: Dream Team)**

Under Bowser's command, the Koopalings charged into the battlefield to engage the zombies and Luigi.

Saki fearlessly stepped forward with her hands covered in electricity and said, "You think I'm scare of you coming all at once? Like hell that this! Eat this!" Shen then fired a blast of electricity at them.

Seeing this, the Koopaling ran out of the way, except for Morton, who was hit head on. The turtle was zapped and screamed badly, but despite this, he remained standing and conscious. Morton shook his head and glared at Saki. "I angry! I flatten you!"

"Bring it!" Saki said to him while beckoning him. The Koopaling charged at him as she electrified her fists. When the turtle was near, she punched him across the face hard, but the turtle was able to withstand it, much to her surprise, and then threw his own punch.

She moved out of the way before slamming another electrified fist against his head, this time hitting harder than before and therefore making him move some steps away. Before Morton could do anything else, Saki fired a blast of electricity at him and propelled him backwards, crashing through the window of a dress store.

* * *

Using his wand, Lemmy produced a beach ball underneath himself and balanced on top of it. "Haha! Let's play!" he said before producing more beach balls to throw at Lily.

The latter dodged them with ease, and when Lemmy rolled at him using the beach ball he was balancing on, he got out of the way as well. Lemmy turned around to roll into him again, and the zombie responded by throwing multiple ice balls onto the ground to create an icy trail. This caused Lemmy to lose control of his beach ball due to the slipperiness, and he crashed into a nearby stop sign.

* * *

Wendy laughed evilly as she used her wand to fire energy rings at Junko, who cried in shock as she avoided them. "What's wrong? Too scared to fight back?" the former taunted her. "It'll be easy taking you down!"

"Please... don't!" cried Junko as she brought up her hands, and in doing so caused clouds to appear from her palms and block Wendy's view of her.

"Don't think you can hide just like that!" said the Koopaling as she fired more energy rings. The rings went through the cloud like going through empty air, and then it disappeared, but Junko was nowhere to be seen. Wendy looked around for her, and suddenly, a large amount of cloud was fired at her from the side, covering her up completely.

Junko had previously rushed over to the side and surrounded Wendy within a cloud. The zombie then rushed into the mass of cloud she created. The sound of slapping and punching could be heard. Wendy soon flew out from the other side with a swollen and bruised face.

Junko poked her head out of the cloud with a panicked look and said, "I'm sorry... I sometimes forget that I'm stronger as a zombie than when I'm a human...!"

* * *

Ludwig approached Yuugiri and asked her, "So... what can you do? You don't look like you've obtained any power-up, unlike your friends."

Smiling, Yuugiri replied, "How about you show me what you can do first?"

"I was thinking of letting a lady first, but if you insist. I hope you do not lose your will to fight!" said Ludwig evilly. He held up his wand, which glowed brightly, and then two duplicates of himself were created, standing alongside him. "Surprised? Let's see if you can figure out which is the real me after a bit of shuffling!"

"Oh, is that what you can do? This is perfect, I believe!" said Yuugiri with a smile, and then in an instant, four duplicates of herself appeared out of her in a blink of an eye, standing side by side.

Ludwig was surprised to see this, and realizing what power-up she got, he said, "So you've got the Copy Flower!"

"I can make more than this!" said Yuugiri as she created some more clones of herself, this time numbering almost to ten. All of them then rushed at the three Ludwig and began slapping the heck out of them.

SLAP SLAP SLAP SLAP SLAPPITY SLAP!

The clones of Ludwig were destroyed, while the real one fell down on the pavement with a badly swollen face. One could say his face was now twice its original size.

* * *

"You want a rematch? Just how I like it! I'm going to beat you up real good this time!" Roy said to Tae while in a fighting stance.

The mindless zombie let out an angry growl before charging at him and swinging her hand, which became covered in rock as it was traveling through the air. Roy brought up his hand to block it and then punched Tae hard in the face. The zombie was able to tank it and then delivered a headbutt to the Koopaling's head.

Roy took some steps back before angrily throwing himself at Tae and wrestled with her. He was able to lift her up and throw her aside. Tae got back up almost as soon as she hit the pavement, and then rocks covered the entirety of her body until she became a boulder that rolled towards Roy.

Roy got out of the way, and Tae crashed into a building, so he laughed at her. She rolled back out towards him, however, and this time, he held up his hands to try to stop the boulder in its tracks, which he succeeded in doing so. The boulder suddenly shattered into pieces, blowing him back. Tae came out of the boulder and slammed a rock-turn fist into his face so hard that his sunglasses shattered. The Koopaling flew back into a building wall and crashed through it.

* * *

"Take this!" said Liggy as he shot a green fireball from his wand at Ai. Ai jumped outo f the way before throwing a punch at him, and her fist stretched like a spring. In fact, her limbs had now become springs. The springs coiling around them weren't for looks, including the one on her waist. This came unexpectedly for Iggy, so he was socked in the face hard and knocked back.

He got back up and said, "That was cheap! Take this!" He swung his wand several times to shoot several fireballs at Ai. Ai jumped around using her spring powers to avoid the fireballs while approaching Iggy. When she was in the air close to him, she stretched her legs and kicked him hard in the face.

After landing from her jump, she stretched her hands at him, grabbed him by the shoulder, and then hurled him away into the distance.

Iggy screamed as he landed a distance away, and Ai looked at the springs on her body and said, "I can really get used to this!"

* * *

Larry was shooting blue fireballs from his wand at Sakura, who dodged them by jumping around. She was able to jump higher and faster than usual thanks to her bunny power-up. "You can't dodge them forever! You'll never win if you only do that!" Larry told her. "Though I don't mind that!"

"I'll show you that I can fight if I have to!" Sakura told him before jumping again, this time performing a dive kick towards him. Larry jumped out of the way and laughed as he shot another fireball that successfully hit her this time and blew her away. Sakura got back up and glared at him, and Larry shot more fireballs.

She once again jumped to avoid them and performed yet another dive kick, only to miss the second time. Larry once again shot another fireball, but this time, Sakura stepped out of the way fast and then closed in on him to deliver a kick to his head that was strong enough to knock him down.

Larry got back up and growled angrily before shooting more fireballs. Sakura jumped up and went over Larry, and before he could do anything, picked him up from behind. She raised him over his head and jumped as high as she could before flinging him diagonally downwards onto a random brick on the pavement. He hit his face against it hard and hurt himself badly, only to get stomped in the the head hard by Sakura afterwards and passed out.

"There! Don't underestimate me!" she said to him.

* * *

Bowser Jr. was breathing fireballs at Luigi, who countered by producing blocks out of thin air to build a wall and protect himself. Looking up from behind his barricade, Luigi laughed and said, "Haha! You cannot get-a me!"

"Ya think?" said Kamek, who was floating in the air on his broom next to Bowser Jr. He waved his wand and shot a blast at the barricade, causing it disappear in a puff of smoke.

"Oh no..." said Luigi in horror.

"Haha! Let's see you handle this!" said Bowser Jr. as he whipped out a Bob-Omb and hurled it at him. Acting quick, Luigi took out a hammer and knocked it back to him, so he hurriedly ran off with Kamek to avoid getting blown up by the homecoming bomb.

"Take this!" said Kamek while firing another magical blast at Luigi, to which the latter responded by throwing a block that cancelled out the attack.

Bowser Jr. withdrew into his shell and spun rapidly while sliding towards Luigi. The latter saw him coming in time and so stepped away. The young turtle turned to him again, so Luigi took out his hammer and, with a powerful swing, managed to alter his course. Kamek fired yet another blast at Luigi, and the latter stepped out of the way before jumping high towards him with the hammer held over his head.

Kamek warped out of the way, however, and laughed at him. Luigi then pulled off an unexpected move of throwing the hammer in his direction while still in midair. Kamek was hit in the face hard by the hammer and fell off his broom.

Bowser Jr. got back out of his shell and breathed fired at Luigi. The latter pulled out a block in front of himself to use as a shield and pushed in the turtle's direction. Bowser Jr. brought up his arms to push against the block when it came to him. Both sides pushed back and forth for a few seconds, and then Luigi unexpectedly lifted it over his head and slammed it down onto Junior's head hard.

SMASH!

"Ow..." cried Bowser Jr. as he passed out on his front with a large bump on his head.

The block shattered after hitting his head hard. Luigi smiled triumphantly while dusting his hand. "Yeah! I'm da best!" he told himself.

* * *

With the Koopalings, Bowser Jr., and Kamek taken care of, Luigi and the zombies turned their attentions to Bowser, who was still fighting Mario. Those two were equally matched.

"C'mon! Let's help him!" suggested Saki. She was the first to rush at Bowser while pulling back her hands to one side to charge up a ball of electricity before firing it at him. Seeing the approaching projectile, Bowser swung his hand at the incoming attack and destroyed it.

"You're getting on my nerves!" he angrily said to her before breathing rainbow-colored fire at her, but she rolled out of the way.

Tae jumped high into the air and curled up while spinning, not to mention changing herself into a boulder. The boulder-turned Tae then launched itself diagonally at Bowser, hitting him in the head. Bowser tanked the attack with ease, however, and then pushed it using the same body part to send it flying back.

The boulder Tae landed onto the pavement and rolled at him at a fast speed. This time, Bowser punched the incoming rock and shattered it into pieces. Tae flew out of the boulder, and before she could do anything else, Bowser produced an energy ball in his hand at a fast speed and flung it it at her, blowing her away.

Junko swung out her arms to release a large amount of cloud that surrounded and covered up Bowser. Saki charged up electricity before firing it at the cloud, causing it to turn dark. The cloud surrounding Bowser had become a thundercloud.

A large amount of electricity emitted from the thundercloud created, and the sound of thunder was heard as well, much to the shock of Ai. "That should teach him!" thought Saki.

The thundercloud suddenly dissipated in a manner similar to exploding, however, and Bowser was seen unharmed with his arms raised diagonally to the sides. He roared angrily before stomping the pavement to create a shockwave that knocked everything on the surface into the air.

From the air, Ai stretched her spring-like arm at one of Bowser's horn and pulled herself towards the turtle, punching him in the head with her other hand when within range. Bowser easily shrugged off the punch and then caught Ai. Grabbing the spring around her waist that was currently connecting the two parts of her body together, he pulled hard and tore her apart. All those who saw this were horrified. He threw both halves of Ai in different directions.

"AI!" screamed Sakura as she rushed over to the upper half, while some of the others rushed over to the lower half. "Ai! Say something! Are you all right?"

"I'm fine... It doesn't actually hurt," replied the bandaged zombie.

Saki angrily turned to Bowser and said, "How dare you do this to our friend?! DIE!" She charged up a large amount of electricity and then fired a powerful blast at him. Bowser responded by throwing a punch at the incoming projectile, and said punch unleashed a blast of energy in the shape of a fist that cancelled out the electric attack and went through it, heading for Saki and knocking her away.

"Take this!" Lily shouted as he swung his flippers against the air rapidly to throw a large amount of ice balls at Bowser. Ice began to build up around Bowser's body when he got hit, but it didn't do anything to stop him. Instead, he slammed his hand in his direction and created an energy wave. Seeing this, Lily tossed himself to the side and landed with a belly flop.

Yuugiri created multiple clones of herself and had them all rush at Bowser. With a single swing of his arm, he was able to send them all flying. The real one jumped at him right after that and created clones of herself while in midair, and then they all fell onto him, grabbing him in various parts to try to hinder his movements.

Even this did nothing to stop Bowser, however, as a burst of energy came out from all over his body, blowing away them all. The clones disappeared from getting hit, while the real Yuugiri hit the pavement hard.

"Enough! Don't think any of you are a match for me!" said Bowser angrily as he floated into the air. He began throwing energy balls all over the place, destroying whatever they touch. The good guys cried in terror as they ran around the place to avoid getting hit.

In the midst of the chaos, Mario used the spear as a pogo to bounce into the air and towards Bowser to stab him with it. Bowser caught the spear, however, and flung the plumber away into a wrecked car before shooting an energy blast from his fist at him. Mario was too late to get out of the way and was hit, which resulted in an explosion.

The others were horrified to see that Mario was blown up by the energy blast. The plumber flew out of the explosion and landed on the pavement with burnt wounds all over his body. He was clearly not in a good condition. Everyone gathered around him in concern. "Mario! Don't-a die!" cried Luigi while shaking his body.

"Mario! Please be all right!" Sakura said in concern.

"Bwahaha! This is what happens if a level 1 fighter challenges a level 100 fighter that is me!" laughed Bowser. "My victory was decided the moment I obtained this armor! There was never a chance for you to beat me, not even with some kind of super weapon!"

"Don't get so full of yourself!" Saki angrily said to him. "Justice always wins in the end! Your victory won't last long!"

"Right! We will beat you for sure!" Lily said with confidence.

"You can keep telling yourself that after you all go to your graves!" said Bowser as he raised his fist into the air. It glowed brightly, and then he fell to the pavement and punched it hard to create a powerful earthquake that caused the area to be destroyed.

Cracks spread throughout the place and debris shot up, and everything that was on the ground was sent airborne. The good guys screamed in terror as the powerful earthquake attack sent them flying into the air as well, and as if that wasn't enough, they kept on getting hit by the airborne debris too.

When the chaos settled down, the whole place was a mess. The good guys could be seen scattered around the place, some of them buried underneath objects. Bowser floated in the air and looked around at the chaos he caused with glee. "Heheheh! Even I'm amazed at what I can do myself!"

**Theme Ends**

* * *

TO BE CONTINUED

I apologize if the fights were too short and easy. Somehow, I'm not in the mood to make them long...


	31. I'm Not Afraid of You!

**Chapter 31  
I'm Not Afraid of You!**

* * *

Mushroom City was in ruins after Bowser unleashed his power and wrecked the place. The good guys were in pain and perhaps even unconscious as they laid down on the wrecked pavement. Bowser's subordinates were injured as well, though that was because they were previously defeated by the good guys.

Mario looked up with pain all over his body and noticed the Rainbow Spear a couple of meters away from him, so he struggled to get it back. He tried his best to stand up, despite the pain, and went over to the weapon as fast as he could currently, only for Bowser to step on the weapon, though it didn't break.

"Not so fast!" said the turtle. He then shot an energy blast from his fist to knock back Mario. He picked up the spear and said, "You thought you could defeat me with a measly stick like this? Ha! Don't make me laugh!" He then hurled it in a random direction and then approached Mario. "Nothing you do can ever stop me now! I haven't felt this powerful since using the Star Rod! This is even better than that time!"

"You won't-a get away with theez, Bowsa!" Mario angrily said to him.

"Oh yes, I well get away with this!" said the turtle.

Saki suddenly appeared in between them. Facing Bowser, she said in anger, "Your opponent is me!"

"Get lost and stay dead!" Bowser said to her before throwing a punch. Saki ducked underneath and rushed in on him to punch the crystal on his chest plate with an electrified punch, but it did nothing at all. Bowser backed away and then swatted her into a debris at the side. Saki recovered fast and angrily fired a blast of electricity at him, only for him to deflect it with ease using his hand.

Bowser then lunged at her at an unexpected fast speed and punched her hard in the body, pushing her back and crushing her against the debris. She was pressed against it so hard that the debris shattered, and she flew back and landed violently.

Tae roared as she pounced at Bowser from behind, but before she could touch him, he spun around and punched her away. Tae landed on all fours and then covered herself in an armor of rock before charging at him again. Bowser slammed down his fist onto her so hard that the rock armor shattered completely. He also punched so hard that the pavement gave way, causing her to fall into the sewer below.

Lily cried constantly as he threw several ice balls at Bowser, but they did nothing more than create harmless explosions of frost. Bowser. Bowser breathed fire in his direction, and Yuugiri, in an attempt to protect him, tossed herself at Lily and pushed him away, only to get burned himself.

Lily was shocked to see Yuugiri sacrifice herself, but the latter disappeared after getting hit. He looked carefully and saw another Yuugiri standing not too far away, so he concluded that it was a clone that rescued him and got burned instead. Yuugiri created more clones of himself to send after Bowser, who stomped the pavement to create a shockwave that knocked all the clones off their feet and got them destroyed.

Bowser then charged at Yuugiri at a fast speed, and before the latter could react, he punched her onto the pavement hard, making her cry in pain. "Don't hurt Sister Yuugiri!" Lily angrily shouted as he threw more ice balls at him.

Bowser was going to attack him again, but Luigi came running towards Bowser with a hammer held over his head. "I won't let-a you hurt a little kid! Take-a theez, Bowsa!" he shouted.

He jumped at Bowser and readied to hammer him, but Bowser smashed him in between his hands as if hitting a mosquito, and just like that, Luigi was flattened and fell onto the pavement in pain. "Waaaaa..."

Bowser looked around to see that more or less everyone was in no condition to fight. Ai and Junko were both struck with intense fear as they cowered in front of a destroyed car, holding each other while trembling violently. They were clearly too scared to fight.

By the way, Ai's body was fused back together thanks to the healing powers of a zombie.

Sakura, on the other hand, picked up the Rainbow Spear and glared at Bowser. "You hurt my friends and destroyed many things," she said to him in an intimidating tone as her eyes glowed brightly in red, which was a first, as it had previously only happened when the zombies were in the dark. "I won't let you do this any longer!"

"Are you mad? Haha! I like it! I like destroying things and bringing despair to people! You think you can stop me? Try your worst!" Bowser taunted her while beckoning for her to come after him.

"I'M NOT AFRAID OF YOU!" shouted Sakura as she charged straight at Bowser. She kept on yelling as she approached the turtle, who swung his claws at her. Acting quick, Sakura ducked underneath it and then thrust the spear forward, hitting it against the crystal on the chest armor. When the weapon came in contact with that part, the crystal let out a bright flash and also released a shockwave that pushed Bowser back several steps.

"What the?!" he said in shock.

Sakura didn't understand what happened just now and didn't care much either. She continued yelling out loud as she charged at Bowser to attack him again. Bowser threw a punch that launched an energy blast at her. She tossed herself to the side and tried to get back up, only to be hit by another energy blast and knocked into the air.

"Sakura!" gasped her friends.

Sakura landed violently, but slowly got back up again, and she continued to hold the Rainbow Spear tightly in her hands. "I'm not giving up!" she said. "No matter how bad the situation is, I will not give up!"

**BGM: Yomigaere (Zombie Land Saga)**

She stood back up fast and thrust the spear against the air to make the spearhead fired a blast of energy at Bowser. He attempted to deflected it with his gauntlet, and though he succeeded in doing so, he was still pushed back, much to his surprise.

Sakura then ran to him and thrust the spear at him rapidly over and over, and Bowser kept on using his hands to block each of the hits until he found the chance to counter her and punch her away.

Despite being knocked back yet again, Sakura once again got back up. She was going to run towards Bowser again when Mario approached her from the side and touched her shoulder to grab her attention. "You don't-a have to do theez alone," Mario told her. "Theez eez our battle, so we will do eet togetha!"

Hearing this, Sakura nodded. "Right, we should do this together!"

"It doesn't matter how many of you come at me at once! You won't beat me!" said Bowser with confidence.

Mario and Sakura held the spear tightly together and glared at Bowser. "Let's-a take him togetha, Sakura!" Mario said to the red-headed zombie.

"Okay!" replied Sakura with a nod.

"Die!" shouted Bowser before breathing rainbow-colored fire at them. They charged forward with the spear pointing ahead. As they ran, a dome-shaped force field of sorts appeared in front of the spear, protecting them from the fire and also allowing to penetrate it.

When they got close to Bowser, he grabbed the spearhead to stop them from coming any closer. While both sides were struggling against each other, the other zombies and Luigi cheered for them.

"You can do it, Mario and Sakura! Give him your best shot!" shouted Saki.

"Sakura! Mario! Go and beat him!" shouted Lily while punching the air.

"You can do it! I know you can!" shouted Ai.

"Please win!" said Junko loudly.

"We trust in you! You can do it!" said Yuugiri loudly. Tae let out a cry that implied she was cheering for them again.

"Mario! You can win! I know you can do eet!" shouted Luigi.

Mario and Sakura pushed the spearhead against Bowser, and eventually a burst of light came out of the spearhead, repelling Bowser and pushing him back several steps.

Mario and Sakura ran at Bowser again, shouting loudly. Bowser was too late to react this time, and the spear struck the crystal on the chest armor. As the two pushed their weapon against the crystal, the latter glowed brighter and brighter, and cracks began to show up on it. "What the?!" said Bowser in shock.

"YAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!" shouted Mario and Sakura as they pushed the Rainbow Spear into the crystal even harder.

Eventually, they were able to shatter the crystal, and an explosion of purple light followed immediately.

KABOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!

The duo were propelled backwards and rolled along the pavement, while Bowser was launched high into the air, screaming all the way. "WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!"

He kept on flying onto he disappeared in a twink far in the distance.

**BGM Ends**

Everyone, including Bowser's minions were surprised at what they saw. They kept their eyes on Bowser until he could no longer be seen. "Lord Bowser!" cried the minions.

"They... They did it!" exclaimed Ai.

"Haha! You sure taught that jerk a lesson!" said Saki happily.

The minions looked at the good guys in fear and anger, and Bowser Jr. said, "How dare you do this to papa?! You'll pay for this!"

"Right! We will never let you off the hook so easily!" said Roy.

"You'll pay for this!" said Larry.

"You still wanna fight? Bring it! I still have tons of energy left!" Saki said to them while charging up electricity in her hands.

"Shouldn't you be more concerned about going after your boss...?" Ai asked the minions.

"Right! We're going to find our highness and then get our revenge on you! Don't you dare run!" said Kamek. The other minions all agreed that looking for Bowser and tending to him was more important at the moment, so they turned and ran, with the promise that they would be back to make them pay.

"And don't come back!" Lily angrily shouted at them.

As the minions ran off, Sakura and Mario looked at each other with large smiles. "We did-a eet!" Mario said to her.

"It's all thanks to you!" Sakura said to him.

"You also helped! That-a wuz a great show of courage! I didn't know you had-a eet in you!" Mario said to her.

Sakura blushed and said, "I was surprised at how courageous I was too... Guess I was so angry at the situation that I became determined to do something about it... Maybe it's because I'm a zombie that I was more fearless too, since I can't get hurt too much."

The others approached them, and Saki patted Sakura's shoulder. "Ya did great, Sakura! That was the most awesome performance of anything you've ever done!"

"You really surprised me, Sakura!" Junko said to her. The others said the same, and they praised Mario for his actions.

"Thank you, everyone! It's all because of our teamwork that we were able to defeat Bowser!" said Sakura.

"We didn't really do anything," Ai told her. "You and Mario finished him off!"

"So... what now?" asked Junko.

Mario looked around the place and said, "Time to clean up theez place and help-a those in need, then. We should also tell Peach about-a theez. I'm sure she will be glad to know that Bowsa eez defeated once again!"

* * *

TO BE CONTINUED

And thus, the final battle of the story is over! I hope you enjoyed it! I think I did the best I could, given the limitations of what the ZLS cast could do. And do you think the penultimate song from the first season of ZLS is used fittingly?


	32. Good Morning, Mushroom Kingdom!

**Final Chapter  
Good Morning, Mushroom Kingdom!**

* * *

After the battle at Mushroom City was over, Mario and co. returned to Mushroom Kingdom. Of course, they were praised by the survivors of the city for their job well done before they left. When they returned to Mushroom Kingdom, they were received with a loud and cheerful welcome by its citizens, as they have heard about what happened at Mushroom City and were proud that the heroes had returned safe and sound.

To Mario and Luigi, this wasn't anything new, as they had saved the world often and received praises from people all the time for this. To Franchouchou, on the other hand, this was new. While they did defeat Bowser and save Peach the last time they came to this world, the praise they received wasn't as grand as this.

Needless to say, they were glad to be treated like heroes.

* * *

After returning to the hotel they booked into when they came to this world, the zombies wasted no time in taking baths. After coming out from bath, Sakura tossed herself onto one of the king-sized beds and said, "Ah! What a wonderful bath! I feel much more energized now!"

"Feels great to get refresh after you've saved the world, doesn't it?" Saki said to her.

"You bet! I feel like I can really get used to this!" said Sakura. "It's a lot of fun!"

"As fun as things are, we should go back to our own world soon," Ai reminded her friends. "We've been here long enough."

"True, we should not keep Sir Tatsumi waiting. Our absence will not bode well for our fans back in our world too," said Yuugiri.

Sakura then sat up. "I have an idea! Why don't we hold a performance before we leave? I'm sure the folks here really want to see us perform again!'

"Great idea!" agreed Saki. "We really should hold one!"

"Lily thinks this is a great idea!" said Lily.

"I agree!" said Junko with a nod.

"I don't see why not. We are idols after all," said Ai, also agreeing with this idea.

"If all of you are in favor of this, then there is no reason for me to say no," said Yuugiri. Sakura asked Tae about this, and the latter nodded while making a sound.

"All right! Let's tell Mario and the princess about this! I'm sure they'll be excited and help us with this!" said Sakura.

* * *

After Franchouchou told Peach about this, the princess was more than thrilled and thus looked forward to their performance. They said they wanted at least two days to practice and prepare, and in the meantime, Peach would spread the news about the upcoming performance to the folks of Mushroom Kingdom. They were all excited to hear about this and talked among each other about it.

News of this even spread outside of Mushroom Kingdom. Franchouchou had become famous after their contribution to the battle against Bowser in Mushroom City, so it was no surprise that their upcoming performance would spread to more parts of the world.

News of this even managed to get to DK Island. The Kongs were excited about this, as they loved it when the zombies performed on their island, so being able to see them perform again was something worth looking forward to.

Wario heard about this in Diamond City as well. He missed out all the time they had performances, and while he wasn't interested in idols and such, he decided to watch the show live on TV to see what the hype was all about. Perhaps he might be able to find inspiration for new video game ideas from watching them perform.

Penny was the most excited to learn about this. She loved their first performance in Mushroom Kingdom, so she was looking forward to this new one.

* * *

Two days later, a large audience had gathered inside an auditorium. It was the same auditorium Franchouchou used when they had their performance in Mushroom Kingdom for the first time. The audiences were highly anticipating the performance and talked among each other about it and wondered what wonderful songs and dance moves they would pull off this time around.

In the dressing room, the zombies were getting themselves ready for the performance. They reminded themselves one last time the songs they were going to sing and also made sure that their costumes were good enough.

Their costumes are,long answer short, the same red ones they wore in the opening of the first season of the anime. Hope that's a good enough explanation for you, because I'm not good at describing things, especially clothes...

"All right, it's about time we go out there!" Saki told her friends. "The folks are probably impatient already!"

"Is everyone ready?" asked Ai.

"More than ready!" said Sakura with enthusiasm.

"I'm ready as well," said Junko.

"Lily is very ready!" said Lily.

"I am ready too," said Yuugiri. Tae made a sound while nodding to confirm that she was ready too.

"Then let's get going!" said Saki.

Back outside, the audiences continued to wait for the zombies to show up. Cameras were focuses on the stage, and they were broadcasting the event to various parts of the world. The folks at Diamond City, DK Island, Isle Delfino, Pi'illo Island, and even Yoshi's Island were watching their TVs, waiting for the performance to begin.

Franchouchou eventually showed up on stage, and even before they got to the center of the stage, the audience went wild and cheered and clapped for them nonstop. The zombies even saw banners with messages about how much the people love them held over the heads of the audiences. This made them glad that they were well loved here.

"Sorry to keep you waiting!" Saki said to the audience. "Thank you for your patience! We, Franchouchou, will once again perform for all of you dedicated fans! We hope you will support us by paying attention to our performances!"

The audience clapped their hands and chanted their group name over and over. Mario, Luigi, and Peach were seated up front, clapping their hands. "I can't-a wait to see what they have in store theez time!" said Luigi with enthusiasm.

"Me too!" said Mario with a nod.

Each of the zombies took their positions on the stage and waited for the music to begin. When it did, they begin pulling off their dance moves and sang loudly and cheerfully. The audience were silent at first, listening to their song, but as the performance went on, they began clapping their hands and waving their glow sticks in the air, all the while cheering loudly. They were clearly enjoying it.

Franchouchou sang multiples songs, each of them resulting in a large amount of cheers coming from the audiences, including ones who were watching on TV. After several songs were sang, they finally came to the last one.

"All right! This will be the last one for today, but if you want to, we can give an encore for another song of your choice afterwards!" Saki told the audience, who responded with cheers of excitement. "The name of the song is... Let Your Flag Fly High (Flag o Hatemekasero)!"

The zombies began singing the song, to which the audience responded with a large round of applause while shouting with excitement nonstop.

_Ready, go!_

_Nan da ka mainichi tsumannai？_ (_Every day's kind of boring!)_  
_Anmari tenshon agannai？ (Just can't get excited!)_  
_Sonna seishun nante iya deshō？ (You don't want to spend your youth like that, do you?)_

_Kaze wa itsu de mo fuiteru (The wind is always blowing!)_  
_Doko kara to mo naku kiteru (Blowing from somewhere, no matter what!)_  
_Sono kaze o kyacchi shite miyō yo (So catch a hold of that wind and let it carry you!)_

* * *

On DK Island, the Kongs were watching the performance on TV together. "Wow! I'm loving this song so far! They're really great singer!" commented Dixie.

"They're really good!" said Diddy.

"I can never get bored of this!" said Donkey.

"Those girls sure got some nice moves!" commented Funky.

"I'll give them credit where it's due," said Cranky, who appeared to be the least impressed among the bunch.

* * *

On Diamond City, Wario was at his home, watching the performance with a relatively bored expression while picking his nose. "What's the fun in this sort of thing anyway?" he mumbled to himself.

The same could not be said for Penny and some other employees of WarioWare. Mona, Kat and Ana, Ashley and Red, 9-Volt, 18-Volt, and Mike had gathered together at Dr. Crygor's house to watch the performance on TV. They were enjoying what they saw.

"Wow! This is so good!" exclaimed Penny. "It's even better than last time!"

"I can see why you like it!" said Mona. "I'm a fan of music as well, so I can tell that they really do have talents!"

"I'm not really into this sort of thing, but for a group of undeads, they are impressive," said Ashley. The others agreed that Franchouchou was good at this too. Mike said that he could learn some things from them, while 9-Volt and 18-Volt commented on how attractive the zombies look.

* * *

Surprisingly, the folks at Bowser's castle were also watching the performance, and they found themselves enjoying it more than they thought they would, including the Koopalings.

Bowser himself, covered in bandages, was reclining on his bed as he watched his large flat screen TV placed in front of the bed. He would've enjoyed the performance more if it weren't for the fact that the performers were the same zombies who brought him so much trouble and helped Mario defeated him.

He was filled with rage as he watched the zombies perform on screen, so much that he wanted to get up and smash the TV into pieces, but he couldn't, as almost the majority of his body was covered in bandages, thus confining him to bed. He was in so much pain that even breathing fire would bring him harm.

He mind was filled with vengeance, and as much as he wanted to use the Superstar Armor again, he couldn't, as the armor was destroyed when the crystal on the chest plate exploded.

* * *

Elsewhere in different parts of the world, Franchouchou's performance was being watched by various people.

Francis went crazy over them. He had his eyes close to computer screen, watching the performance on livestream. He was perhaps having the most exciting day of his life and watched with great excitement at them performing, all the while praising them nonstop.

Waluigi was in his house somewhere in the world. He didn't look all that impressed, as he was still bitter over the fact that he lost to Ai at the Wet-O-Lympics.

Yoshi and his friends were gathered together in the former's house, watching the performance on TV. They praised what they saw and heard nonstop.

On Pi'illo Island, Prince Dreambert and Broque Monsieur were watching the performance in their own locations, and they also loved it.

* * *

_FLAG o hatame kasero! (Let your flag fly high!)_  
_Fure! Fure! Furee! Let's go! (Hurray! Hurray! Hurray, let's go!)_  
_Kimi no mirai no sugata kitai shite (Look forward to who you become in the future!)_  
_Yes! You can do it!_  
_Hokorashiku aruite ikou! (Walk on now with your head held high!)_  
_Fure! Fure! Furee! Let's go!_  
_Mada shiranai hibi ni (There's no telling what happens the day)_  
_Boku ni kimi ni (That me— And you—)_  
_Deau tabi ni deyou! (Meet once again!)_

_READY? GO!_

With that, the zombies were done singing and dancing. The audiences responded with a wild round of applause and cheering that were so loud that one might become deaf.

"BRAVO!"

"ENCORE!"

"THIS IS TOO AWESOME!"

"I love it!"

"You did-a great!" Mario said to them.

"Splendid! Give me an encore!" said Luigi.

"That was beautiful!" said Peach.

"That was awesome!" said Toad.

"Impressive! You have amazed me once again!" said Toadsworth.

The zombies were happy that they everyone enjoyed the performance. While the audience was still cheering for them, Sakura stepped up front and waved at them while shouting loudly into her microphone, "GOOD MORNING, MUSHROOM KINGDOM!"

.

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**Ending Theme  
Staff Roll (Super Mario Galaxy)**

Franchouchou continued to perform for the audiences and was met with critically acclaimed reception. After the performance was over, they went off the stage to greet their fans personally, giving them autographs and shaking hands with them. Some of the fans went so crazy coming in contact with them that they said they never wanted to wash their hands again.

Those who saw the performance on TV talked among themselves about how impressed they were with what they saw. They expressed that it was unfortunate they couldn't go and meet the zombies personally right after this. Francis was the saddest about this. As much as he loved the performance, he was sad that he couldn't be there in person to meet the zombies, getting in contact with them directly.

Wario had to admit that the whole thing was more impressive than he thought it would be. Seeing how the audience loved their performance so much started to give him ideas regarding how he could apply idol stuff into future games.

Due to the overwhelming success of the performance, more merchandises based on Franchouchou were made, and saying that they sold like hot cakes was a complete understatement.

Everywhere the zombies went, they couldn't stop attracting attention from almost anyone they came across. People wanted to come in contact with them to not only get their autographs, but also to take photos with them or even be able to get them to respond to them in some way. Overenthusiastic fans even passed out when their favorite idols spoke to them.

The zombies spent two more days at the place, entertaining the people as much as they could. After that, they decided that it was time to go back to their own world.

Having packed their bags, they gathered at the Golden Pipe during nighttime, and a large crowd was there to see them off. E. Gadd was there as well, telling them that he would see to it that they would always be able to come back here. Mario and Peach also told them that they were welcome here at all times. The other people said the same.

The zombies thanked the citizens for their kindness and said that they would come back here whenever they could. They shook hands with each other and even hugged, sometimes with tears running down their eyes. Tae even nibbled the heads of some of the Toads, but they didn't mind at all and in fact enjoyed her doing this to them.

Toadsworth picked up Romero and told him to never forget about him, and the zombie dog barked happily in response and also licked his face.

When they had said their farewells, the zombies jumped into the pipe, continuing to wave good-bye as they did so, and the citizens did the same. After the zombies were all gone, Mario and Luigi approached the pipe and looked down it. Smiles appeared on their faces, as they were confident that they would be able to get back home safe and sound.

Sure enough, the zombies made it back to the sewer of their world unharmed, the same place where they went to Mushroom Kingdom from. Making their way out of the place, they made sure that there was nobody out there, especially that one policeman, before rushing through the neighborhood.

After a bit of running without meeting anyone unnecessary, they finally arrived at their mansion. They took a few seconds to look at their house with large smiles on their faces, and then they pushed open the gate to go inside, happily telling Kotarou that they were back.

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**Theme** **Ends**

ZOMBIE LAND SAGA x MARIO  
**ZOMBIES' SUPERSTAR SAGA 2**

THE END

* * *

And that's the end of the story! Thank you very much for sticking with this until the end! I'm happy that you all enjoyed it and that I can finally finish this story! Unfortunately, I have no plans to make a sequel to this. This series has come to an end.

Other than the last song, which is the last song of the first season, I didn't actually have any ideas for what song they were singing before that, so feel free to think of any pop idol songs you like. I apologize for this...

I know some of you are desperate to learn more about my next Smash Bros. story and are hoping for a teaser at the end of this story, but unfortunately, I do not have any teasers prepared for you. While I already have the plot set in stone and various other ideas, it is still too early to come up with something definite, so I cannot come up with a teaser.

As some of you might have guessed already from the ending of The Song of Light, the plot will involve the Smash Pros and their plan to change the world to their own liking.

The title of the story will be called Project M, and I am thinking of making it rated M due to excessive violence, and with such a rating also comes strong language, but violence will be the main reason for its rating. If things follow through, then I am indeed making my first true rated M story. It's true I previously made a rated M story in the form of Fatal and Mortal Finishers, but that's not a story but simply a compilation of Mortal Kombat-style fatalities given to Touhou characters. Project M may turn out to be my first actual rated M story.

I don't know when I will start working on Project M, but for now, I would like to go back to working on Justice of Two Worlds. Seriously, that story is way overdue for a completion. Now that Zombies' Superstar Saga 2 is complete, it's high time that I return to working on that story. I'm sure fans are impatient to see it continue.

Until next time! See ya!


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